This Is Your Life
by starlight1228
Summary: After Gibbs' team has too many complaints filed against them they are subjected to a personnel review. When a case sends them to Los Angeles and unknowingly puts them on a collision course with a Mossad Officer they hate and an agent Gibbs and Tony thought they'd never see reappears. Will they lose their jobs over old grudges or right their wrongs?
1. Murder On Vav Lake

**NCIS:LA comes in later. I need someone to write Tony/McGee/Callens POV! Please PM me!**

* * *

Tony you know that I could name at least four ways to stop a perpetrator from harming someone with just my bare hands." I say as we step off the elevator.

"Because that worked so well with Haswari." I punch him harder than probably necessary and put my backpack on my desk. It has been nearly a year since that warehouse rooftop in Washington D.C. and I shake my head. The one terrorist I couldn't shoot had nearly killed me! Afterwards I had vowed to never let such a thing happen again.

"Good morning Katie." McGee said cheerfully as he walked into the bullpen.

"Probie." I said rudely and he hardly noticed.

"What has McProbie in such a good mood today?" Tony said as he pulled his eyes away from his Playboy.

"None of your business Tony." McGee says as he sits down at his desk. The elevator door pings open and a young, pretty, blonde girl in a bright pink, lacey, party dress and black high heels walks towards the bullpen. Her hair is natural and she is muscularly slender, nice tan, bright baby blue eyes, very well done make-up and her hair is curled. For a moment I thought she was going to Tony and she blew right by him.

"Hi McGee you left this at my apartment." She hands him his _drivers license_ before turning to leave.

"Hi, I'm Tony whats your name? You seem a little lost, you see McGoogle here can't get with a lady. At all." The girl looks at him a little harder and says,

"No way! Tim is way to good at s-" she is cut off as McGee loudly clears his throat and she finishes, "stapling, stapling papers. He must've left his license at my apartment because we stayed up so late, stapling." She turns to look at McGee before mouthing 'sorry' and walks off to the elevator.

In my most sultry voice I say "Hey Timmy, you wanna staple my papers _all_ night long?" and Tony cracks up.

"Oh poor little probie! What's wrong? Your boyfriend will find out?"

"Are you saying there is something wrong with being gay Tony?" another female voice says and I turn my head to see _who could this be._ I look and see a young woman in her mid-twenties, she has long, curly, dark brown hair, very beautiful light brown eyes, and nice red lips. She has a light blue dress shirt, black skirt and black heels. She has a soft Spanish accent as well.

"Well, no, it's just-"

"Whatever." she rolls her eyes and I notice she came from Forensics. She isn't an agent I'd know her. "McGee can I talk to you, _alone_." She directs that last part at Tony. He walks over to an empty conference room with her and they don't come out for awhile.

"What do you think Probies doing in there? Banging her? Maybe it's so bad she'll storm out crying." He stays perched on his desk and I consider calling Rachel again. She moved to Miami about a year ago and called last night. She left a voicemail and she sounded close to tears. I don't know if I should call her.

"It's unlocking Kate!" Tony says like a two year old and he stands on his swivel chair."

"Tony you know what Officer Buckle and Gloria say," I tease him.

"Are they from Baltimore?" he asks, trying to keep his balance.

"No the childrens book." I sigh and see the conference door open wider. McGee looks a little upset and the young woman looks like she might've cried.

"Was it really that bad?" Tony starts and he screams and I hear a _thud_. I snap my head over to him and his swivel chair is turned over, the wheels spinning. I hear the woman walk away and McGee come closer.

"Tony are you allright?"

"Yeah just fell out of my seat," he groans and he picks up cadence "laughing at you and that scene you caused with that girl!" he starts cackling and then yelps in pain.

"Look what Officer Buckle and Gloria warned you about." I smirk and go back to my emails.

"Who are they?" asks McGee.

"McGoogle it. And how to fix that scene." I snip and McGee looks affronted.

"You know Kate, you're being just like Tony today." he walks back to his desk and enters in numerous keystrokes.

"Yeah there's this fantastic new invention called _Spellcheck_ didn't they teach you that at MIT?" I remark and then my screen goes black. "What? Whats going on? McGee what did you do?"

"Learning how to use spellcheck." he grunts.

"Well fix it!" I command.

"No." I glare at him. Probies can't disobey a Junior Agent.

"Now." he ignores me for three minutes and I announce, "I'm going to see Abby."

"No you're not." Gibbs says as he enters the bullpen with his coffee and grabs his gear. "Grab your gear we have a dead Petty Officer Research Analyst. _I wish we would investigate a real hero_." he says quieter and I feel a little, disheartened.

* * *

**I know I'm not so good at Kate. She was on for two seasons and they didn't explain her much. PLEASE PM ME IF YOU WANT TO WRITE AS TONY/MCGEE/CALLEN! **


	2. The Scene

**I realized, reading over last chapter, that it made little to no sense. When I copied it some of the middle was left out and, unfortunately was irrecoverable. I'm going to update it after I finish this chapter I promise! **

* * *

**KATES POV **

After sitting between DiNozzo and Gibbs for an hour in the van driving to an isolated lake I pretty much hurdled over DiNozzo to get a breath of fresh air from all his movie comparisons and McGee yelling in the back as an evidence gathering box fell on him and probably hit him between the legs. I pulled open the back doors and saw that it had been _my _evidence box.

"McGee can't they teach you how to properly fasten an evidence box?" I ask, grabbing his instead and he reaches for it but Gibbs has arrived.

"Probie don't even try blaming this on Kate." he warns before stepping in the van, handing me Tony's evidence box and slamming the doors shut. This is his improvised conference room. I hear him yelling about evidence contamination and the incompetents in Cyber Crimes before scurrying away, not wanting to get tangled up in McGees issues.

* * *

"Looks like a Baretta but I won't know for sure until I run it past Abby." DiNozzo calls, holding up a stray shell-casing that the killer must've missed. I see why the PO came out here. The grass is nice and green, clear water, thick, sound-proofing trees. Unfortunately that meant it probably silenced the killer. Jasna Stankic lay in a Sleeping Beautyesque position. Her straight, dark brown hair spilled out around her like a pillow, her brown eyes that were now glazed over looking up at the unforgiving sun and her hands clasped over her chest. She looked beautiful, aside from decomp.

"Ducky!" Tony called, as the elderly ME hobbled down the incline.

"Looks like the killer was remorseful." he said as he knelt down, "Mr. Palmer did you bring the liver probe?"

"Absolutely doctor!" Jimmy said cheerfully, he was the most cheerful ME in training I'd ever met. Maybe he's inhaled too much formaldehyde. "TOD was about ten hours ago, and the cause of death appears to be a GSW to the back of the head." he adds sadly as he sees the exit wound in her forehead.

"Looks about right with the evidence. C'mon we're all done here." The killer was so good that Gibbs has finished yelling at McGee as we arrive. We wait outside for another five minutes as Gibbs instructs McGee on the importance of the sanctity of a crime scene and how that, now he was to sit in the back the rest of the month. We clear our throats and tap on the door and a red-faced Gibbs jumps down, swearing under his breath while a pale and shaking McGee straps himself in.

* * *

**NCIS HQ **

* * *

I sigh and decide I should search all databases for any trace of Jasna besides the military. As it runs I call her boss and ask about her friends, coworkers. He says she wasn't too sociable because her English was a bit pidginy but befriended one woman, an Andrina Marielle. He says she usually goes by that but calls her Gagne as a formality. I thank him and look around the bullpen.

My phone rings again and I answer, "Special Agent Caitlin Todd, NCIS."

"I never get tired of hearing you say that." Dwayne says on the other end.

"Hey handsome, whats up in NYC?" Dwayne was there on his law firms business. He is a criminal defense lawyer and he only defends who he believes to be innocent. He even helped the police help solve some cases where his defendant was wrongfully blamed. He was talking about how NYC could change their laws to more successfully enforce the law and apprehend criminals. And how criminal defense lawyers should let their clients do the time if they did the crime. He isn't too popular but gets everything done.

"Say I'm flying back tonight and maybe after tomorrow around 7:30, I mean 19:30 hundred hours, and we could go to La Boreal and get something to eat."

"I'd love to. Why not tomorrow?"

"Can't. Too much paperwork."

"Alright you win." I say playfully.

"Wednesday, 7:30."

"Alright, I love you."

"I love you too." he hangs up and I get a hit on my database.

**Jasna Ivana Stankic Age 32 Gender Female**

**Nationality FORMER Serbian Nationality CURRENT American Ethnicity Serb**

**Religion Serbian Christian Orthodoxy Position Economics Analyst**

More details follow like her address, **201 Velvita Ladle Lane** and her telephone number which, obviously, is useless. I fool around a bit and decide to call Rachel. I know it is during my work day but her voicemail is disconcerting. I pick up my phone and am about to dial when McGee shouts "I got something!"

"Wait until Gibbs is back McGoo." I snap. He was interfering with my concentration and that is unacceptable.

"No Kate I- nevermind I'll tell Morrow." he's getting out of his chair when I snap my fingers and order him to tell me what he found.

"Yeah Probie what've you found?" Tony says as he walks back from the elevator.

"Where's Gibbs? He should be back from Autopsy by now." McGee asks, trying to evade the question as he heads towards the Directors office.

"I don't know. Go down to Autopsy and see if something is amiss about the body." Tony is about to leave when I call out after him,

"C'mon Tony you're not really falling for that are you?"

"Falling for what?" I roll my eyes and push out of my chair.

"He's trying to get away," I turn and look and he's up the stairs. Lucky SOB I think.

* * *

My mind is still reeling from the fact that McGee is _still _in Morrows office after the past three hours that I jump when my phone rings. I listen to the genteel voice on the other end before hanging up.

"Ducky says that the Autopsy is finished." I say as I hang up the phone and look around the bullpen. McGee has Jasnas personal laptop on his desk, hooked up to his computer. We can't get her work computer until the Navy clears her computer of classified information or clears us. And it's not helping that the SOB is holed up in Morrows office.

"Alright I guess I'll go." Tony says, he grabs his coffee cup and walks over to the elevator and Tony jogs back over here. He grabs his jacket and jogs over to the elevator. It's just me and this is getting mindnumbing, all the economic stuff I have to sort through.

My phone rings and I answer it "Special Agent Caitlin Todd, NCIS."

"Kate get down here now. My silver haired fox is nowhere to be found and not available in my lab! You have explaining to do!"

"Okay Abby I'll be down there in a minute." I say coolly and grab my personal cell phone. No one at work has my personal one except Abby since we like to hang out on the weekend. I go down to the lab and see Abby is very, very upset.

* * *

"Where is my silver haired fox? He is always here he is never late and has never missed my discoveries! I do all this with no assistants and he can't even bother to come!" She shrieks and I grab her shoulders firmly.

"Abby calm down Gibbs has to take his turn in Autopsy!" I say calmly. Maybe I shouldn't have worn a red shirt to work.

"Fine! Come, my babies have things to show you." she slides over to her AVIS machine, where she can run prints and match them to criminals. She waits patiently for a ping and after a few minutes it comes. But it's from the ballistics. Her eyebrows furrow and she walks over and screams over the screaming musicians she's listening to. "It was indeed a Baretta that killed our PO but _no match_!" she flies off the handle, shrieking that McGee has doomed her career by contaminating evidence when he was never at the crime scene. I think it can't get worse when the AVIS machine says it has run through all fingerprints of the living. She already tried the Department of Defense database.

"NO!" she screams and storms out, disturbing some other forensic scientists in the hallway. One of them, a small, messy haired one shuts off her music and I hear another shriek down the hall. Call it instinct, but I ran for the elevator, leaving the lab rats to have their own Game of Thrones.

* * *

**OMG I SEE PEOPLE FROM ESTONIA READING THIS! I CAN READ A TRAFFIC GRAPH! WHY DOES NO ONE WANT TO CO-WRITE?! MY ENGLISH KNOWLEDGE IS NOT VERY GOOD I NEED ASSISTANCE!**


	3. The Bullpen

**I did my best, I would ****_love _****a co-writer! I know it was terrible, I need a co-writer!**

* * *

**TONYS POV **

"MCGEE!" Abby screamed like one of bands from the elevator and Agent DiNozzo snapped his head off his desk, he had been snoozing for the past hour or so, much to Kates annoyance and the looks of disgust from fellow NCIS agents, but they had the highest closure rate in all of MCRT, no one could touch them. He loved listening on his coworkers when they were totally bitching Gibbs out when they thought his star agent wasn't listening.

_"That pigheaded ex-Marine."_

_"He should shut his oversized mouth."_

_"I'm thankful that old dragon can't breath fire."_

_"God one of the JAG officers went off on me today when he heard I was NCIS, he lectured me on the basics for search warrants and all because he caught one of Gibbs cases and apparently they didn't file a search warrant and they got all of a terrorist cells evidence thrown out, they walked!" allot of people shared similar experiences._

_"I heard some guy in the DoD-" but he was cut off by Tony, the best agent of NCIS, cleared his throat. Everyone shot him stink eyes and filtered out quickly. He had claimed the coffee maker, the Starbucks down the road had closed for renovations and he figured he needed to emulate Gibbs. Of course no one tried to fill their coffee with him in the room. He smiled when he had walked out as he heard some people commenting about not touching the coffee machine. Probably wouldn't want to desecrate a relic._

"TONY WHERE IS MCGEEK!" Abby shrieked, making him shoot up like one of Gibbs' Privates from when he was a Gunnery Sergeant.

"In the office with Director Morrow." he reported and she scowled.

"Probably telling him how he irreparably damaged my evidence! I saw him hand me the ballistics, it was his hand Tony!" Abby screeched, causing people several bullpens over to look up. Agent. . . .Carter, Tony thought it was came over.

"How did he damage your evidence Abby?" Tony realized he was one of those WoW players that McGee knew in Cyber.

"You wouldn't know key-pusher." he snapped, not wanting another geek in on the team.

"I would actually, my sister teaches forensic science around the world." he said calmly and turned back to Abby.

"THERE WERE NO FINGERPRINT OR BALLISTICS MATCHES!" she cried before turning on her heel to Autopsy. "IF HE COMPROMISES EVIDENCE FROM THE BODY!" she screamed and shoved aside some attorney who started listing the police brutality complaints he could make. Carter let out a low whistle before heading back to his desk.

* * *

**GIBBS POV**

"Unfortunately all I can say for our Petty Officers preliminary is that the cause of death was most likely a bullet to the brain." Ducky, the genteel older man said kindly as Palmer fished around for the skull-splitting gear.**  
**

"Ducky can't you streamline it? Mine clearly is a hitman! I need the evidence, Abby needs the evidence, whatever's there!" He growled, he was never this angry with Ducky. Bit he wasn't giving Gibbs the priority.

"Gibbs we're not super-human, we need to gather evidence off of a mob hits body before it gets corrupted." Palmer intervened but Gibbs cut him a glare, surprisingly the gremlin didn't flinch.

"This doesn't involve you Palmer." he said and looked to Ducky for backup.

"I'm afraid he's right Jethro, you'll have to wait." Ducky put away the preliminary gear before he could have his input, and Palmer headed over to the freezers to get out a body. Gibbs tried giving them his famous stare but they never noticed. The phone rang and Gibbs moved to answer it.

"Special Agent Gibbs, Autopsy." he replied and he heard Abby screaming on the other end.

"McGee corrupted evidence! I want you up here now Gibbs! He's hiding in the Directors office!" Abby shrieked and Gibbs pulled the phone away and put it about two inches away.

"I'll be there." he grimaced and stomped to the elevators. What the hell did McGee think he was doing, schmoozing with some corrupt bureaucrat.

* * *

"MCGEE!" Gibbs yelled as he clambered into the Directors office, they were shaking hands and the Director was edging around his desk.

"Ahh just the man I wanted to see, Agent Gibbs please join us in your desk area, your team and I have something important to discuss." Morrow said calmly as he walked to his office door.

"Does this have to do with McGee tampering with evidence?" Gibbs barked and the Director slowed.

"McGee did you do such a thing?" he asked.

"No sir!" McGee replied, shocked.

"Gibbs, meeting now!" Morrow hollered and Gibbs cut McGee one last glare.

"This isn't over yet." he mumbled before following the director out.

* * *

**KATES POV**

McGee, Gibbs and Director Morrow walk down the stairs from MTAC. It's been not even a full minute since Gibbs went in, I wonder what he did to make them cave so quickly.

"Why would McGee go into MTAC?" I ask. Gibbs is just staring at them and Morrow greets us all with handshakes, "Gibbs, DiNozzo, Todd, ah and Miss Sciuto!" he says as Abby glowers at McGee.

"Oh hi Director. I can go now." she says quietly, her head now down.

"No Miss Sciuto this announcement will affect you too. Given this teams over assertiveness in the field and various complaints from many different agencies, departments and precincts that have over the years have complained about this teams inability to cooperate, negotiate and respect others I will give you one last chance." Director Morrow started, but Tony interrupted.

"Whoa, sorry Mr. Bossman but what's this? We've got the highest closure rate and never-"

"Given you a warning in the first place I know. I was hoping that my top investigators who despite their best closure rate, cannot cooperate or work together with anyone, at all would be able to figure out with why people are always gambling in the break room who will have to work with you if they lose a sports bet. I have decided that I will give Agents McGee, Todd and DiNozzo a chance to fly to Los Angeles and work with the OSP office there. I will especially look at the personnel profiles they file after working with you. You will fly out to meet Agents Hanna, Callen, Blye and Vail. If they are anything less than satisfactory you will join your friends in the evidence locker. Do I make myself clear? Agent McGee, one last word."

McGee steps aside so Abby, Tony, Gibbs and I gather around by Gibbs' desk.

"Boss why is Director Morrow suddenly so in love with McGee?" Tony asks sharply, he sounds super upset.

"Because McGee lets other people win. He paves the way for people to walk allover him. He thinks as everyone else does. He listens to them and accepts it without question. Now come on we need to think of how to keep your personnel files optimal." Gibbs says.

"But McGeek is the best with computers." Tony whines.

"He's not the only one Tony." Abby says.

"_Abby_." I say "I thought you liked McGee."

"Not when he hurts _my_ team." Abby pouted.

"Abby he is on our team." I say.

"Not when he betrayed Gibbs."

"Alright." I say. "So can you change the personnel files before the reach Director Morrow?" I ask, I quit the Secret Service and if I'm fired from NCIS I'll have to be a PI or even worse, work for a precinct, all my talents gone to waste writing traffic tickets.

"Guys just do what I would do. They _will_ respect you. Don't _ever_ doubt that. Now go home and pack Tony and Kate. You two are going to LA." Gibbs commands.

"Gibbs what will I need to bring?" McGee asks.

"Nothing. You're not going." he says icily.

"Boss the Director said-" McGee begins.

"Well you don't have the experience he thinks you have. You're staying _here_." Gibbs barks.

"Well how will I get the experience if you keep at my desk 24/7?" McGee snaps.

"He's right Gibbs, he's going to LA. And if he doesn't on your head be it." The Director says as he passes by with his coffee. How did he get from here to the break room and back?

"Fine. Go." Gibbs walks to the Director and McGee, Tony and I walk to the elevator when Abby screams "I HATE YOU MCGEE! YOU CORRUPTED MY EVIDENCE TO GET NO BALLISTICS MATCH! AND YOU'RE BEING SUCH A NARC!" Abby had been fuming about him wanting to sabotage her after she had sex with him the other night and duped him. She kept saying he was always lying about her forensics work and trying to take her credit and how he tattles on every joke we play on him. Something crazy.

"ABIGAIL SCIUTO MY OFFICE _NOW!_" The Director bellowed across the floor. I throw myself into the elevator and press the Ground Floor button. "AND _NO_ GIBBS!" The Director bellows again.

"Kate, get out of the elevator! You'll wanna see this!" Tony grabs my wrist and I walk over to the Directors office. "_Kate, what're you doing?"_ he hisses. I freeze and confidently turn my head.

"Tony, even though I went to two years of law school and it felt like prison I can still know the law." And then I turn and walk up the stairs. Go Team Gibbs for the biggest scene at the office.

"I'm sorry Agent Todd but the Director is taking no visitors. And being on Team Gibbs will not get you special treatment here." she says coldly.

"I'm legal counsel." I state.

"Oh really? Show me your bar membership card." she says cockily. I stay silent and she smirks. "You know I'm feeling nice today, I'll let you in for your one year of law school." and the doors open.

"ABIGAIL SCIUTO! YOU CANNOT SIMPLY YELL ACROSS THE BULLPEN YOU HATE AN AGENT SIMPLY BECAUSE HIS TEAM HAS BEEN DISCIPLINED FOR ONCE!" Morrow yells in her face. His veins look ready to burst.

"But, but McGee was pulled aside by you which means he's told you lies! Plus he's been jealous of me and my boyfriends so he lies about my forensics! He says they're no match but I know they have one!" Abby cries indignantly and the Director looks ready to kill.

"Sciuto your 'friend' McGee had told me your murder victim, Petty Officer Jasna Stankic, was on our Los Angeles hotlist. I wanted him to recommend who he should take with him and he recommended you and Agent Caitlin Todd. Speak of the devil come sit down Agent Todd. You'll need to hear this." he gestures to a conference chair and I sit.

"You'll be happy to know the personnel review applies to you too Miss Sciuto. You will be going with Agents McGee, Todd and DiNozzo to Los Angeles to work with Agents Hanna, Callen, Blye and Vail. Pack your things."

"NO I WON'T GO TO LOS ANGELES!" Abby screams.

"She's right sir. After the Phantom Abby has-"

"-the ability to overcome her fears and will face them." the Director cuts me off and finishes it himself. "Now go and pack your bags with something a little more decent and _professional_. Hetty may cut you more slack because you're so good as she does for Beale but if it is over excessive..." he leaves the thought open to pondering.

"Yes sir Director." Abby says sullenly and shuffles out the door. We're in the parking lot when she starts bawling in my arms.

* * *

"HE HATES ME! HE WANTS TO RUIN ME!" it doesn't help the day shift is just letting out into the parking lot. "MCGEE LIED AND NOW THE TEAM IS BEING PUNISHED! I DO ALL THAT WORK WITHOUT ASKING FOR AN ASSISTANT! AND I'M SO MUCH BETTER THAN THE OTHERS! MORROW HATES SCIENCE! IT WAS HIS GENERATION THAT HELD BACK SCIENCE!" she sobs and I shuffle her over to my car.

"Hey Abby it's okay you can use some of my clothes."

"NO NO NO NO NO! MY PERSONALITY REQUIRES MY CHAINS AND EVERYTHING! OTHERWISE I AM NO GOTH!" She cries and I feel like I'm trapped in her realm. I have to fly to Los Angeles and I don't know if I could leave my apartment with her like this. I finally load her into my Volkswagen Jetta and my phone bleeps. Abby is sobbing and screeching so I'm glad Morrow texted me,

**Plane leaves tonight at midnight. Be ready.**

I groan and Abby yells again, "YOU THINK MY PROBLEMS ARE BAD? MY BOSS HATES INTELLECTUALS AND FEARS ANY WHO ARE SMARTER THAN HIM! IT'S ALL MCGEES FAULT! HE SHOULD PAY!" And then she's bolting out of the car.

"Abby NO!" I scream and sprint after her. Security closed down after her so I had to shove my way through security and NCIS workers. "DON'T LET HER THROUGH!" I yell repeatedly. Abby is knocking over _everyone_ and foul-mouthing McGee's name. "Abby STOP!" I holler.

I see her sprinting up the stairs and think her hormones must be fueling her. I sprint but we work on the fifth floor and am slowing down. _God I need to get a YMCA membership_. I think. As I throw open the 5th floor aka the MCRT floor and see McGee heading for the elevator.

"MCGEE RUN TO AUTOPSY!" I cry, he sees Abby charging like a rhinoceros before he hears me and has the same idea. He drops his backpack on the way and Nikki Jardine picks it up. Abby hurtles after him and I scream for her to stop. "ABBY! SOMEONE STOP HER!" I scream at the top of my lungs. If the Director hasn't gone home for the night or God if he's interrupted in MTAC! I don't even finish the thought and focus my adrenaline on my legs.

I bang through to the elevator but it's down below. McGee would try to outrun Abby on the stairs. I locate them and throw myself onto the landing and slide down some railings to the basement and I can hear screaming and yelling and then I hear Abby shriek "PALMER YOU-" and the Autopsy door closes. I slam the door open with my body and see Ducky being helped up by a screaming Palmer, McGee slipped out a backdoor probably and is walking back in to check on Ducky. I tackle Abby and she shrieks and bats her arms like those girls catfighting in highschool.

"KATE GET OFF OF ME NOW!" She screams hysterically and I roll off of her but keep very close.

"Abby what the hell happened?"

"I'LL TELL YOU WHAT HAPPENED!" Jimmy Palmer yells loudly enough to wake the dead and alert every living person living on the Eastern Seaboard. "Miss _Sciuto_ here was ramming her way through anything and _anyone_ to get to McGee when Ducky tried to calm her down but she shoved him aside!" Jimmy yells and Abby screams back,

"I DIDN'T SEE HIM YOU AUTOPSY GREMLIN!"

"He was trying to calm you down! He held your hand for a minute and when you saw McGee slip out you shoved him!"

"Abby!" I utter, affronted.

"But I- but- I!" Abby can't finish. "JETHRO!" She cries out and curls up and sobs. I reach out to comfort her and Director Morrow storms into Autopsy.

"Director-" Abby starts.

"Save it Sciuto I could hear everything from Legal." Legal works on Floor 10 and has soundproofed rooms for attorney-client privilege. "Seeing as your blatantly disregard for the rules you are on a three week suspension, no pay and God himself forbid the flight to Los Angeles. If you come within 20 feet of the premises you will be discharged from NCIS. Effective immediately. You have fifty minutes to remove yourself from the premises under the supervision of an agent or I will call security. Go collect your things from your laboratory." She wails and shuffles off and I accompany her.

"Director I was going to escort Abby-"

"Agent Peterson will handle it. My office." My heart falls as I cross the threshold into his office and I can tell it is being sealed. No one can hear anything outside. "Agent Todd, a word." the Director says. I follow him closely and I feel my stomach turn to mush. "Look I understand, you and Sciuto being one of few females working in the field. But you cannot let her drag you along into every little hissy fit. You mist draw the line with her. Like tell her to turn down her music. Not everyone was raised by deaf parents and likes their music loud. Not only can it cause hearing damage, her colleagues cannot work with it. She may play music but at a tolerable level. Scientist Zabrojowski needed a whole week off while she listened to Bloody Skulls new album for a week straight. Learn to draw the line. You may go."

"That's all?" I ask, surprised.

"Yes. Now go a Navy Admiral is coming. He apparently has a complaint about one of our agents despite having only had his daughter as part of an investigation." he sighs and yells for Camille to open the door. He looks at me like _do you need help on the way out_ and I scurry away.

I pull out my iPhone and text Abby

KATE: Where are you?

ABBY: COME TO THE LAB QUICK! I HAVE TEN MINUTES AND NEED HELP GETTING ALL MY STUFF!

I put it away and jog down to the basement. Ducky is technically in a sub-level so I only run the chance of Jimmy and Abby if we use the elevator. I wonder if the Director will ever fire Abby. I check my watch, 19:32, I groan, my flight for Los Angeles leaves in four and half hours. I sprint and Abby is just being escorted out.

"I could only take what I could carry." she pouts. "Can I borrow a thousand dollars?"

"God Abby what are you buying a yacht? Don't you have savings?" I hiss, my landlord in Japan is not very lenient on late payments.

"Well I have my Halloween party, jewelry, makeup, and of course music CDs. I'm also obligated to attend all my friends concerts."

"Can't you get in for free or cheaper if you know the band?" I ask, "And how expensive are these things anyway?"

"$200 easy, I get a discounted $125."

"God Abby these people aren't even famous yet!" how she makes rent I don't know.

"_KATE!_ I am fully supporting them and their musical stylings." she whispers, sounding scandalized.

"Well," I say as I dump her stuff in her car with a _thud,_ "My flight for Los Angeles leaves at midnight so I _really need_ to pack."

"But I need comfort!"

"But I need to work! Good night Abby!" I say and I walk to my Jetta. I start the engine and leave Abby with some guys out of Legal in the parking lot.


	4. Welcome To Los Angeles

Tony is whining between McGee and I, McGee is playing Minecraft with no volume, three rows back a man is playing Skrillex on his speakers and it's muffled enough but you can still hear it. I have the window seat but we're somewhere over Nebraska around 1am in the morning.

"Kate get that guy to shutdown Skrillex, I need to sleep." Tony whispers in my ear and I slap him away.

"Tony, go to sleep." I mumble.

"Not until that music stops, you wouldn't want me to be cranky at the OSP office would you?" he asks suggestively and I sigh.

The bass drops in the Skrillex song and the guy says "Yeah." like some drugged out hippie. I stand up and say,

"Sir could you turn that down or use headphones? Some of us are trying to sleep."

"Yeah, sure babe." he snorts as he turns it up.

"It's Agent Todd to you. And I can arrest you for Disturbing The Peace and can escort you to the nearest LAPD station and have you arraigned." I retort, I need to sleep, I can't show up at OSP office with bags under my eyes.

"Ma'am a man playing music a little too loud fits the grounds for an excessive force complaint." a smart looking lady says and I realize she's probably a lawyer.

"And who are you?" I ask to see if I am correct.

"Jane Isles, I'm an attorney."

"Well ma'am he is disturbing some of us. Not all of us want to hear Skrillex blaring on a four hour airplane ride." a passenger says.

"You know what!" another woman says with a slight accent, she sounds Hispanic and I realize she's a flight attendant. "Why doesn't the man use headphones so we don't fight, we have silence and he can hear the music, okay?" she says firmly, eyeing me, the lawyer and the hippie.

"Can we agree on that?" The lawyer sits down in her seat and opens her tablet, the hippie pulls out his headphones so the flight attendant eyes me. I nod and sit down.

* * *

**A FEW HOURS LATER AT LOS ANGELES AIRPORT**

"Vail I swear if you keep that up." Kensi says as Dominic Vail, a probationary NCIS agent, keeps flicking her hair.

"What your hair is kind of pretty under the airports fluorescent lighting." he teases and watches the concourse closely.

"Dom do you think that maybe we should-" Kensi is cut off by the jetway door opening. Dom and Kensi get on alert and keep an eye out for the three federal agents they're to receive and drive back to their hotel.

"Why are they sending three? The DC office always sends them in pairs. It's either half the team or all of it. This is suspicious." Dom comments as the agents step off.

"That's them." Kensi says as she spots Caitlin, Tony and Timothy.

"Kensi, keep an eye on them, I'm not sure we should trust them one hundred percent." Dom warns and Kensi rolls her eyes.

"Dom, they're agents." Kensi reassures him, but as she walks over to greet them she isn't certain she should trust them either.

* * *

"Hello I'm Special Agent Kensi Blye, my partner Special Agent Dominic Vail is waiting over here to escort you to headquarters, do you have any other bags?" a slim, dark haired agent says.

"I'm a Very Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo." Tony cuts in and I stamp on his foot _hard_. I give him my trademarked look and he grabs our carry-on bags. "Lead the way _Special _Agent Kensi."

"It's Agent Blye to you." she says firmly before turning away to her partner, a big, short haired, black man.

"So y'all're the DC team? Where is your leader?" Agent Vail asks.

"Gibbs and Abby are staying behind incase something turns up in Washington DC." McGee says professionally.

"Well that explains it." Dom mumbles and Kensi elbows him in the stomach.

"Okay class listen up, Agent _Blye_ here will assist you on bringing your luggage to the van. _I_ will then drive you all to the hotel and tomorrow at 7:30AM Agents Callen and I will arrive to pick you up. Understand?" Agent Vail says. "And I would be on your best behavior here. I know the _real_ reason the _three_ of you were sent here and lets face it, it's not for _more manpower_."

"And what the hell is that supposed to mean?" Tony says as he takes a step towards him.

"I'm saying D.C. _always_ sends either half the team or all of it, not three people." he says it like we're being accused of treason.

"Well Miss Sciuto is staying back in DC with Gibbs." Tony snaps.

"Yeah she's a _scientist_ not a an _agent_." Agent Vail and Tony look like they're about to get into it in the middle of the airport terminal. Vail is acting like he knows what Director Morrow said about our personnel review and I think Agent Blye is getting the same reading I am.

"Alright calm down ladies you're both beautiful." Blye steps in.

"You're very beautiful too you know, you actually sort of resemble Mila Kunis. And you know this reminds me of a scene from a movie, you know which one?" Tony _very_ clearly wants Agent Blye and I know somebody needs to calm down.

"Hey don't talk about my partner like that." Agent Vail says, stepping between them but Blye looks about ready to murder him as well.

"Butt out Vail." Tony snaps, trying to give Blye a winning smile.

"Hey if you can only _attempt_ to pick up ladies at _work_ then you're probably one of those creepers." Vail says, clearly defensive of Blye, probably something that happened in the past. It must've been traumatic. I shake my head, ever since I became a psych profiler I'd become so suspicious.

"At least I'm not on courier duty." Tony smirks and Vail shoves him away from Blye. Tony looks ready to really get into it when McGee snatches his iPhone out of his pocket.

"Tony if you do one more stupid thing I'll drop your phone or reprogram it to Android settings." I've never seen McGee so brave and I can tell Tony is surprised too.

"McProbie wouldn't." Tony says, nervously grinning as he reaches his hand out. McGee puts the phone in his dress shirt pocket and calmly asks Agent Vail where the car is parked. Vail gives Tony one last glare before saying, "Follow me." My luggage is heavier than the guys so Blye stays behind to help me.

"So that iPhone thing McGee threatened, do you think DiNozzo would listen to me if I did that to get him off my case? Not there are other ways I could do it, this way just seems easier." she smirks as he tries to smile back at her, but Vail smacks his luggage, making him drop it.

"Tony would probably listen to an ant if it carried away a tiny bit of his phone." I say as we walk to the van in the domestic terminal parking. She laughs and tells me a little about Vail.

"He's like our McGee only he has more experience. You guys in D.C. should send McGee out in the field more. He needs the experience and needs to know what to do in a, _difficult_, situation." She says the last part rather heavily.

"Is that why Vail is so protective of you? Something happened in the past? Forgive me I'm a psych profiler." I say apologetically.

"I'd rather not talk about it here, but yes something did happen. You'll like Getz then. Your sister would too." she says casually.

"You ran a _full_ background check on me?" I ask, appalled.

"Yeah we had too anyway, high clearance stuff Jasna got involved in." That's all Blye says as she slams the vans rear door shut, our luggage piled high. "Now you really wanna buckle up, I'm not a good driver."

"Which is why I'm driving Kensi, so you don't kill our guests during their first 24 hours in Los Angeles." Vail says, snatching the keys.

"You win this time Dom!" Blye grins as Vail revs the engine.

**ONE HOUR IN GRUELING TRAFFIC LATER**

"Well this is your Ritz Carlton." Vail says as he dumps our stuff in the main room of the hotel. We have a small kitchenette and den with three doors shooting off. "The first one on your left has a double bed and the one on the right has a twin bed. I'm _assuming_ Todd would like that one. And the last one on the left is the bathroom with a toilet, sink and shower. Have fun, and don't get room service." he quips before walking out with Blye.

The hotels peeling wallpaper and matted carpet are an ugly beige and the TV looks like it hasn't been _touched_ since the 1980's. I notice the oven has rusted and the stove is a glass-top. There is also no microwave or fridge. I see the bathroom and kitchen have chipped, once white but now grey, linoleum and the beds have various stains on them.

"Is this really what my federal taxes are going to?" Tony grumbles before ordering Probie to take the couch. I'm about to advise McGee to do it when he walks in the room with the small bed and jams something against the door, locking us out. I sprint to the big bedroom and slam the door behind me before throwing tampons on the floor like talismans against the DiNozzo demon.

"McGee open up." I hear DiNozzo call from the living room.

"Or what?" McGee replies sarcastically, it's muffled through the two walls, but they're not much of walls anyway.

"I'll tell Kensi you're gay, I saw you looking at her." I hear Tony say, he told allot of the girls at work that Tim was gay to avoid competition.

"No you won't!" McGee protested.

"Then let me have the bed." I open the bedroom door and yell to McGee.

"Let him have it, he'll complain all day tomorrow." I hear him shuffle around and McGee steps out. Tony gives him a saccharine smile before walking in and slamming the door, a photo frame falls to the floor.

* * *

**MCGEES POV **

McGee lay awake listening to the sounds of Los Angeles around him. He was sick of his coworkers attitude. Gibbs didn't think he could handle going to Los Angeles and working with OSP, Abby thought he was incompetent enough to contaminate evidence, he was a yo-yo yo her after all, free to let loose and later bring close when she needed him. And Tony could not bear the thought of competition, after he'd embarrassed him in front of Agent Blye he knew that everyone in OSP would 'know' that he was gay. What Tony didn't know was that he'd narrowly avoided two gay-bashings. The first one he had skirted around when some Admiral came to get his car and they didn't want to risk their careers over him. He later learned they beat up a look alike. Another time he only got around it when some Military Police, who everyone thought was a joke, had shown up and gotten them on their way. McGee never teased MPs after that incident.

Kate though was different, sometimes she would laugh along with Tony, or smirk as he was Gibbs-slapped. Or she would warn him about one of Gibbs' moods or tell Tony something wasn't funny. He didn't know if she was friend or foe. Sometimes it kept him up at night after a long fay of mixed signals. He never really liked his coworkers anyway. He angled his watch in the light that slipped through the blinds and checked the time.

**1:19 **

He had it set to military time so he would get better at telling it and be more able to keep up with MTAC. He figured he should sleep and rolled over. Not too long later he was asleep.


	5. Two Cities Have Different Coasts Because

**I apologize for the poor quality of the previous chapters, they were written before I took a writers class so I apologize. **

* * *

Caitlin Todds POV

Agents Callen and Vail arrived to take us to the Headquarters. It's OSP so the general public isn't supposed to know it's there and Callen and Vail are 'average' looking. I look around at Los Angeles and even though it is a little too weird for my taste I wouldn't mind living here in an OSP assignment. Callen is a very good driver, he knows all the shortcuts and where all the traffic was the worst and how the drivers are, which are not very good.

"Can we stop and get coffee?" DiNozzo asks.

"Stopping would make it harder to detect a tail or easier to pick one up." Callen says but DiNozzo starts ranting about how he'll be so unproductive and cranky today, by telling us the story of when he once came to work with a hangover, he just said it was because he didn't have coffee. Callen finally caved.

"You know what, just so you'll shut up we're getting coffee." Callen neatly pulls into a parking lot for Krispy Kreme and hands him ten bucks. "You have five minutes before I drive off." he flicks the bills away from Tonys hand before handing them to him.

* * *

I know we picked up a tail at the donut shop, I just can't see them. I can feel it.

Callen drives us into what looks like one of those docking bays behind a grocery store where the 18-wheelers go to drop off their deliveries except this has newly laid concrete, fresh wooden support beams and the garage door hasn't rusted.

"Callen do we really have to use the _guest_ entrance? We're all federal agents not suspects or witnesses." Vail complains, "I wanted to work on some decoding with Nell and Beale, you know how they get."

"You're just upset you have to walk up an extra flight of stairs." Callen chides, smirking as he turns us into a docking bay with one of those crisscross metal elevators, where the metal strips make little diamonds.

"_CALLEN!_" Vail yells as the left side of the van is peppered with bullets and the right side of the van is T-Boned.

Callen swerves behind a concrete divider and the bullets stop.

"Was anybody hit?" McGee yells over the gunfire.

"No this van is completely bulletproof." Vail grunts.

"Damn how did they get in here?" Callen grumbles and slams his hands on the steering wheel. "Alright guys unbuckle and draw your weapons, exit the _left_ side of the car!" Callen says frustratingly, "God Dom how did you not see them!" he jams his fist into the side door as I slide the left van door open and hop out.

"I'm sorry I don't have much field experience, MIT doesn't teach me these things and you always tell me to sit in my chair and track the guys from MTAC!" Dom snaps back, clearly angry at himself for not seeing the hit team.

"How the hell did they know we were here?" I ask, I had seen a car following us the last few stretches of road but thought I was being paranoid, I was wrong. Suddenly I feel frustrated at myself. _You protected President Bush goddamn! The Secret Service trained you much better! And you can't even protect your own skin!_" I exhale and put my hands on my hips. I can hear other federal agents returning fire and allot of yelling. It all goes quiet, Vail and Callen runover and confirm they're dead.

I remember Tony was on the left of me and quickly and thoroughly scan him for bullets.

"My God Tony have you been hurt?" I check Callen and Vail I am in the middle of when I hear a soft ping.

The elevator door slides open furiously and Agent Blye _flies_ out of the elevator and launches herself onto Agent Vail.

"Oh my God are you okay!?" She cries into his ear and I swear he flinched a little.

"Yeah I'm okay the van is bulletproof, you know that."

"But you're not!" she says and rests her head on his shoulder.

I stare at McGee and notice he is rubbing his side and grimacing a bit.

"McGee are you alright?" I ask, Vail wasn't injured so I thought McGee hadn't been either. I was lucky, I had Tony on my left and McGee on my right, but I remember my torso slamming to the side on impact.

He nods and whispers, "Not too good. Damn I need a hospital." he grimaces and the elevator door pings open again and a silverhaired man walks out. Gibbs.

"Agent McGee you will come inside and be debriefed. I've seen much worse in Desert Storm so I believe you will be fine. Also Vail was on the same side as you and he's alright." he turns curtly back to the elevator and beckons us all inside. McGee is limping a but he won't complain to Gibbs.

"Boss how did you get here?" Tony asks incredulously. Gibbs scowls.

"I was here so McGee could return to D.C. but Hetty here decided to send me back." He grimaces and I finally see the dwarfish woman behind him.

"We have patience for you Gibbs, Vance calls you to stay in D.C. I cannot complain." Hetty says and leads him over to some agents who have come out. "Agent Carver take Mr. Gibbs here to..." Blye clears her throat and gestures to the elevator. We pile in as do Tony, McGee, Callen, Vail and Blye.

"McGee what the hell do you think you're doing?" Hetty yells across the lot and he jumps.

"Going to work?" he says timidly, coming out more like a question.

"Vail, take him to the medical examiner, I want him inspected before he even sets foot in the Ops Center." she glares at him and Vail nods frantically as the doors close.

* * *

The door slides open and I see a Spanish styled reception area. This looks nothing like my NCIS workplace. I feel kind of jealous actually. I walk through a wooden door and see a similarly styled office space. I see a lone agent sitting there and realize he is probably Agent Hanna.

He sees me and the rest of the group and runs over.

"I heard about what happened but I thought you had already brought them in!" He hugs Callen briefly and they walk over to the coffee machine.

"I thought guys weren't supposed to hug in public." Tony says and I stamp on his foot, hard. "Jesus Kate what was that for?" Tony hisses.

"Clearly Hanna thought Callen was dead so he was just expressing his relief. And don't take the Lords name in vain" I add quietly to annoy him.

"Aww come on Kate don't be all Catholic on me! But I would love to see you in that Catholic schoolgirl uniform." I'm about to slap him out of indignation when Agent Blye walks over from her desk.

"C'mon guys MTAC is open now." she says and leads us up the stairs and I realize the layout isn't really all that different.

**TWENTY MINUTES LATER AFTER SIFTING THOUGH NCIS FILES**

"Jasna Stankic immigrated to Cincinnati, Ohio at a young age from Serbia with her Orthodox parents. She became a naturalized citizen when her parents did and later became a Navy officer. She was an analyst for the Navy and picked up on Sullivan Industries. It's like the mob disguised as a business. Of course they have a _huge_ portion of legitimate business but most of the profit is from illicit activities. We first got them smuggling in narcotics from some Colombian business in the 1990s and then they got careful. Their business now includes, drugs, stolen goods, prostitution hell even hitmen." Agent Blye debriefs us.

"Thank you for that spirited feedback, I love a woman with beliefs." Tony adds and gives her a smile. Blye hits him on the head _hard _with her files and he winces. Vail glares at him.

"We later discovered Jasna poking around Sullivans files. Our warrant didn't give us enough leeway to determine if she was getting involved or investigating on her own. All we could do was put her on a watch-list or risk all her evidence getting thrown out in court. We caught her contacting a _Chief of Security_." Agent Vail uses are quotes on the last few words.

"Hey Beale," Callen says as he walks in, "pull up that photo of al-Shari so they know who to question. Jasna was contacting him but our wire tap didn't cover military phones." the man I assume to be Beale pulls up a photo of a man with dark hair, a goatee and kind eyes.

"Look I know that's not really al-Shari so where is his _real_ picture?" I snap, irritated.

"Calm down Agent Todd that's al-Shari." Agent Blye says from a corner of the room.

"No that's Ari Haswari, a known terrorist. He tried to kill me two years ago on a rooftop in the Navy Yard. Believe me I will _never_ forget his face." I say coldly. I hear the room go silent.

"Well we can't let him know we're onto him so no one from the DC team can question anyone at Sullivan." Agent Hanna says.

"No we'll think of something. Meanwhile Beale I want round the clock _unnoticeable_ surveillance on our friend Haswari, Callen and Hanna will be assigned to questioning anyone about the circumstances of Jasnas investigation on the company. McGee, Todd, DiNozzo we're calling your boss in MTAC. Be back here in five minutes. And according to our guys in Observation the men who took a shot at you in the parking lot are either dead or unresponsive. We're running them now." Hetty commands.

**AFTER MTAC IS CONNECTED**

"What do you mean Haswari is back in America? Why the hell isn't he claiming asylum in Venezuela or some other tropical hellhole?!" Vance barks, wanting to be done with Haswari. "And why was Gibbs in Los Angeles?"

"We mean what we say boss. And I don't know." McGee tells him.

"Alright. I've got some calls to make, Hetty make arraignments for a plane from Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv to arrive within the next 24 hours. I'm also calling in an FBI agent. Lets face it they're the best trained in catching terrorists. You understand that? Especially you DiNozzo. I hear you didn't get off too well your first day here so you better offer these two new-comers some damn brownies you hear?" he yells.

"Wait, who's coming in from Tel Aviv? We don't have a base there." McGee asks, perplexed.

"Ari Haswari's control officer. The one who was originally sent to America to track him down and bring him back to Israel. When the trail went cold we sent her back and an FBI team that specializes in tracking terrorists took over. I heard rumors they'd found him somewhere out west but never believed them. Anyway she'll be landing soon and I expect manners. And the FBI agent will probably be from the team I just mentioned. And Kate if you can't handle this you _must_ come back to DC or risk getting important things getting thrown out in court."

The MTAC feed is cut, a slight stupor settling in on us. Until Tony speaks of course.

"You don't think he means that sexy Mossad chick is coming back?" Tony blurts and I Gibbs-slap him and he rubs his head, looking affronted.

"McGee, I had no idea you felt so jealous over her." he teases, clearly ignoring the fact I slapped him.

"I am not!" McGee says defensively and Tony grins.

"McGoo is in love!" he sings and starts chanting, "Timmy and-" he is cutoff by Hetty clearing her throat.

"Mr. DiNozzo if I ever hear such inappropriate things spoken in this building spoken again I will kick your ass six-ways to Sunday, you understand?" Hetty said menacingly and Tony straightened himself.

"Yes sir- ma'am!" he scrambles and Hetty glares at him before turning to leave.

"I wonder who the FBI agent is." I muse aloud.

"Probably some pencil-pusher who couldn't find his ass with both hands in his back-pockets." Tony says before catching the eye of an intelligence analyst walking by, a very young, very pretty intelligence analyst. "Excuse me." he says slimily before slipping out the door. Just as it's about to close I yell,

"Have fun Sex Machine." the young, short-haired brunette slaps Tony and I laugh, so does McGee. Tony stomps in and gives McGee the death glare.

"Was that funny _McGeek_?" Tony roars and charges McGee.

"Tony stop!" McGee yells, "You'll break the equipment!" Tony slams into a computer and it makes him angrier.

"DINOZZO!" I yell and he snaps his head to me. "Use the restroom." He rises, calmly strokes his hair back into place before strutting out, eyeing another female agent. "What a skirt-chaser." I mumble and turn to McGee.

"I have to go get checked out." he says as Vail knocks on the glass. He shuffles past me awkwardly and Vail claps him on the shoulder. I'm left alone with a frazzled looking MTAC technician who murmurs something about crazy MCRTs before leaving. The room goes dark so I skulk over to the door.

"Jeez Kate you were so mature in there!" Kensi teases and I shoot her a look. She shakes her head.

"Does Gibbs really let McGee get blamed for everything like that?" she asks in all seriousness and I shake my head.

"DiNozzos not feeling alright, he had some bad pain meds this morning." I lie and she shakes her head.

"You're a terrible liar you know that right?" she says before walking past me to an intelligence analyst.

* * *

After a long, boring day of shuffling through papers while Vail, Blye, Callen and Hanna got to work in the field I was not interested in hearing McGee and DiNozzo bicker on the Metro.

"McGee was it really that hard to decrypt Jasnas computer? She's an _analyst_ not an Elf-Lord." Tony scolds him and McGee turns red in the face but says nothing. "Just because Gibbs isn't here to ride your ass so you can press a few keys don't think you can do nothing. I'll ride your ass as much as I feel the need to." Tony growls.

"If it's so easy _you _do it." McGee snaps. Tony raises his eyebrows and spills his coffee on McGees shirt. "The hell was that for?" McGee yells and DiNozzo shrugs.

"Accident." McGee eyes him before taking a seat across the aisle from Tony.

"You two are morons." I murmur, "now shut up so no one will notice us, remember what Blye said?" I chide and I see DiNozzo smile and get a far off look, his pants growing just a bit. "Watch what you think about in public Tony," I remind him and he quickly covers his areas.

* * *

McGee was finally glad to get away from Gibbs' authoritarian and patronizing ways of doing things, but with Tony totally unchecked McGee doubted it was worth it. One Gibbs versus an unchecked Tony was almost as bad. Not to mention Kate barely helped. He slumped in his seat but when an older woman got on the rail he gave up his seat second-naturedly.

They got off and walked across the street to their roach-motel. Tony pulled out his cell and dialed number 2 on his speed-dial. McGees chest closed up in pain, Tony would spin the MTAC story around and then hand the phone off to McGee. Not to mention that it had been DiNozzos goof that got them shot at and T-Boned. He heard Tony say how McGee had stopped to get coffee and gotten them shot at, then how he had gotten him in trouble at MTAC. Tony smirked and handed the phone to McGee as they stepped into the hotel.

"MCGEE WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU? YOU COULD'VE GOTTEN KATE AND TONY KILLED! I KNEW I SHOULD HAVE REPLACED YOU IN L.A.!" Gibbs yelled over the phone, Tony had set it to speaker so McGee jumped back like it had electrocuted him. "DO NOT SCREW UP AGAIN, ESPECIALLY IN FRONT OF HETTY! SHE'LL REPORT KATE AND TONY! AND STOP STALLING YOUR SHITTY COMPUTER WORK!" Gibbs slammed the phone down and Tony started laughing his ass off. Kate had retreated to her room.

"I'm going out!" McGee said, Tony grabbed for the replacement phone he had bought in place of his iPhone. McGee faux handed it to him before throwing it at the wall. It went through the drywall and laid between the two sheets of it. Tony stopped and McGee knew he would explode and ran.

* * *

McGee eventually found a construction sight and pulled Tony's phone from his pocket, he used it as a flashlight to the twentieth floor and stood on the edge, looking out into the city, he always did this in D.C. when Tony pushed him too far. All McGee had ever wanted was to please a father figure. But had that ever happened? No. When he had shot that dog in self-defense the team leader had never asked how he was and had laughed at the cruel dog joke. He even yelled at McGee for slowing that case by getting a check-up from Ducky. And after that incident in Colombia and how Tony had downplayed McGees role to saving Kate from drug dealers as lying on the floor, he had nearly pitched himself off the roof. But suicide had never been an option for Tim, never. So he sat there and took it. It had taken some friends from CyberCrimes to get him out of that terrible depression, he understood Kates obliviousness to it, she had had terrible things happen to her, far worse than McGee and could barely take care of herself. But Gibbs had to have picked it up. He just never cared. He bet if he had been the once kidnapped, Gibbs would've had him pronounced legally dead.

McGee turned Tonys phone toward him and began hacking it into Android mode. Boy would the great Anthony DiNozzo Junior love this!


	6. Welcome to America, Home of the Stubborn

**So I know my Kate chapters have been a little awkward, I hope to make up for it in this one! If you really like Ziva I am writing a FanFic about her growing up in Israel!**

* * *

"Ziva you are being sent to Los Angeles." Amit Hadar said as he walked in with paperwork. "Here are your credentials." he said and Ziva raised her eyebrows.

"You are sure the Americans are alright with this? They do not appreciate our cover identities the way they used to." Ziva asked seriously, many American agencies did not understand their precarious situation. _All _Israelis lived under constant life and death situations, it was so normal here it was like background music. They especially did not understand their operatives must be closely guarded so they could stop as many terrorists as possible. Ziva opened up her passport and saw her face but not her name staring back at her. Tzipora Pizem was the woman who looked up at her.

"Yes Ziva, I spoke with the director myself." Hadar said exasperatedly, he had to get to his sanctuary to prepare for his operation. But he knew Ziva did not like going to America, sometimes if someone found out she was Israeli, sometimes even Jewish, they would rail her for it and she hated prejudice of any kind. The reason she hated prejudice most in America was because it was supposed to be a free country with good beliefs, not some third world cesspool like Afghanistan where a woman could be executed for walking around without a man.

"Alright Hadar." she said and he walked off. Ziva sighed and looked at the plane ticket, she called the right people so she would get normal treatment at security and her false identity would cause no problems, as well as her guns and live ammunition. It took nearly three hours and she got out from behind her desk, it was time for her to go to her own sanctuary.

* * *

**TEXAS FBI FIELD OFFICE**

"Blackadder!" Stephenson barks and I snap up.

"What?" I mumble, I must've fallen asleep while Gibrans prints ran through AFIS.

"You're being moved to Los Angeles temporarily to work with NCIS, one of your terrorists popped up in a murder and they want all hands on deck." Stephenson grunts and I moan.

"Come on, I wanna say goodbye to Tex."

"You're in Texas." Stephenson remarks sarcastically and I roll my eyes and look around at the half empty office space. Some law was enacted by the governor that pretty much demolished crime across the state. Police departments laid off half the force and were still sitting around, they had six taskforces for counter-terrorism, one in San An, Houston, Dallas, Austin, El Paso and Corpus. But the El Paso one was only staying around for the cartels mostly. The only law enforcement officers that had the lowest lay-off rates were patrol men and narcotics. The Texan-Mexican border wall was still being built which meant more and more drugs were coming in. My team was the last to leave and I wish I had left earlier, I hate sitting around looking at all the empty desks.

"Maybe when you get laid off you can become a Marine." Stephenson remarks and I smack him with my newspaper and his guffaw rings across the empty space. He slaps a plane ticket on my desk and pats my head, "I'll try not to die of boredom while you're gone." he teases and I smile.

"Don't get yourself a paper cut."

* * *

Ziva looked out at the Red Sea, of course it was not really red but it was called that. Ziva took off her shoes and dipped her feet in the water. She looked out into the Eilat sunset and smiled, the place had become a resort town and Ziva understood perfectly why people loved it here so much, the beautiful land, mountains and water. She heard some girls chattering excitedly in Russian and smiled as one of them told a joke, she learned Russian, Hebrew, Arabic, Turkish, English and French with none of her fathers help, something she always reminded him of.

Ziva looked at her watch and her smile faded, now she would begin the drive to Tel Aviv and pack up her things before boarding the El Al flight to JFK. Then a nonstop flight to Los Angeles Airport. She decided to go ahead and set herself to the American timezone and decided to sleep on the plane, it would arrive in the morning, around eight o'clock, she knew jet-lag had killed more officers than anthrax. She hopped in her Mini Cooper and sped down the highway that went through Beer Sheva, her hometown and then to Tel Aviv.

* * *

Ziva boarded her flight with no problems, she was even used to being called Tzipora and decided she wouldn't mind using it one day as her sub rosa. Every agent/officer/spy whatever your country used had one. You had covers you could shift into if an op went bad, a tourist in a hostile country, a cabbie, something under the radar that had history and an easy way out. But you also had one you never told anyone about. This was for the occasion that someone inside your own government betrayed you and you could never be you again. You either faked your death or disappeared and took up your new identity. Ziva had been gradually building hers, right now Ariadna Margarida Vivas lived in Andorra La Vella, spoke Catalan, Spanish and English and was a small business owner, and owned a rundown apartment by a hiking trail that lead up the Pyrenees Mountains. Only no one in Andorra had seen or heard of such a woman. She also never told her coworkers she spoke Catalan and Portuguese, something that served her well when she had disappeared for a month as French terrorists had combed the Iberian peninsula looking for her.

"Flight 236 departing for New York City. Flight 236 departing for New York City." Ziva heard the speakers squawk in Hebrew, Arabic, English and Yiddish. Ziva did not know why things were still spoken in Yiddish, Hebrew was more widely accepted and used.

* * *

**CAITLINS POV**

"Tony have you seen McGee?" I asked, McGee hadn't left a note, called or texted since last night. What if someone from Sullivan Industries already knew we were onto them? "No impossible." I say, but that attempted hit on us yesterday had rattled my cage.

"I don't know, probably played Starcraft all night at some cyber cafe and destroyed my phone." Tony grumbled as he shambled into the kitchen.

"He probably went to Doms or something," I blow it off so I don't worry too much, I don't know much about McGees personal life and have received nothing from OSP he is fine. "Now hurry or we'll be late." I snap as I head back to my room. I shower quickly and pull on a white button up shirt and black slacks. I also wear a black suit jacket and shoes. I sigh, Secret Service is what I am when I'm not paying attention, when I'm on autopilot. I look at my other clothes but they're either too casual or dressy.

"Did you say something about being late Kate?" Tony calls from the living room and I scowl.

"Subway or bus?"

"Subway."

"Lets get moving."

* * *

**ZIVAS POV**

I saw her FBI badge when she bent over to grab her duffel bag. Her crazy curly red hair spilled out of its pony tail holder. Maybe she could direct me to the OSP office, if she didn't suspect me of being a terrorist.

"Are you FBI?" I ask cautiously and she slows her motions a bit, surprised.

"Who's asking?" she answers and I smile.

"I'm here to work with the NCIS, I need directions, I am new to America." I say lightly and she smiles.

"You looking for OSP?" she says in a lower tone and I nod. "So am I, I have a car here, I can drive you."

"Thank you." I say but am still wary of her.

* * *

**GIBBS POV**

"Gibbs!" Gibbs heard Morrow roar from his perch on the stairs, Gibbs looked up and Vance gestured to his office. Some agents had stopped to stare so Gibbs gave them his signature glare, oddly enough only half of them turned away. Maybe his old age was making him weary. "NOW GIBBS!" Morrow hollered and Gibbs strolled up to him, a self-satisfied smirk on his face.

"Yes, sir." Gibbs replied sardonically.

"I have Miss. Sciuto in my office, I need to speak with you." Morrow said coolly before turning back to his office, Gibbs followed. As soon as Gibbs entered the drab office a monolithic, Goth figure hurled itself onto him.

"Thank God you're here Gibbs!" Abby cried, "Morrow wants me in L.A.!" she whimpered before sobbing.

"Yes she will go, I've had Marines go on ops in the same places where they'd had ops go bad. I think Miss. Sciuto can handle Los Angeles." Morrow said patronizingly, "I am also implementing that you follow the proper dress code and decoration rules regarding your lab."

"What?" Gibbs asked over Abbys sobs.

"Her loud music and gaudy decorations distract other forensic scientists who have better things to do. Her appearance and lack of professional communications has made her disreputable in the courtroom, many of her findings are discredited because of her lack of maturity. She has two weeks to make her work space and wardrobe appropriate." Morrow chanted, sounding like he said this everyday.

"No, how is she supposed to do that in Los Angeles?" Gibbs asked.

"You're flying to Los Angeles in five hours, Miss Sciuto leaves tomorrow at nineteen hundred." Morrow said dully, but something had irked him earlier. "I'm also here to discuss certain phone calls you two made. Abby why don't you go first?" he said, his look prompting her to start.

"Well, I sort of um, called Eric." she mumbled and Gibbs mouth opened,

"Abby-"

"Let her finish Leroy." Morrow said icily and Gibbs resisted the urge to punch him, he had figured out what he would have to talk about next.

"I called Eric, and told him how McGee contaminated evidence." Abby murmured. Morrow nodded.

"You see Gibbs, I can't have a forensic scientist running around and spreading falsehoods. So you two are going to Los Angeles and getting reviewed by their personnel. There is also a Department of Defense investigation against you and DiNozzo, Gibbs. Coercion, brutality, endangerment of human life etc. the investigator will arrive after you return from Los Angeles." Morrow said.

"NO! I HAVE THE HIGHEST CLOSURE RATE AT NCIS! I WILL NOT BE PUNISHED FOR IT!" Gibbs bellowed, startling Abby.

"Yes, because you have a total disregard for this thing called the Constitution, and your lack of care for McGees well-being." Morrow snapped back.

"I HAVE TAKEN DAMN GOOD CARE OF-"

"Don't you dare finish that sentence, we both know it's a lie. Remember when you made McGee climb into that mosquito infested pool to get evidence a few hours before the HAZMAT team could've done so? Palmer told me he felt guilty for not saying anything and actually protested this audacious behavior but you threatened to poorly review him. I also seem to remember you punishing McGee for getting a check-up after getting brutally attacked by a dog." Morrow threw those decisions in his face infuriating Gibbs even more.

"I FIND CRIMINALS BETTER THAN ALL YOU DAMN SOFTIES!" Gibbs started but Morrow slammed his fist on his desk.

"Gibbs, if I hear you insulting me in this office one more time I will fire your ass six ways to Sunday. Now leave." Morrow said in a dangerous voice. Gibbs locked eyes with him a few seconds more before escorting Abby out. McGee would pay for this.


	7. Shalom From Israel

**So I'm not gonna have allot of Agent Hanna because his actor is LL Cool J and I can never take him seriously as Agent Hanna, especially since he's 'married'. I also apologize that in one of the previous chapters I called Morrow 'Vance' it was a typo and I apologize.**

* * *

"So whom are you working with?" Ziva asked as FBI Special Agent Vivian Blackadder drove them down a highway she claimed led to the OSP office. Judging from her euphemisms, idioms and accents, Agent Blackadder was fresh out of Texas.

"I'm workin with NCIS too amigo, you doin a counterterrorism sorta thing?" Vivian asked, the Texan drawl prevalent in her voice.

"Yes I am, you speak Spanish?" Ziva asked, the agents accent made her hard to understand.

"Damn right I do!" Vivian said a little loudly as she swerved around a jerk driver and gave him the bird. "Did foreign exchange in Argentina my junior year of highschool, my brother Rex worked to put me through it." she smiles at the memory and her attention diverts from the road, the jerk driver swerves in front of them again and Vivian is snapped out of her reminiscence, she only honks her horn this time. "Picked up a little Portuguese while I was there, not that I'm fluent by any means." she adds a little softer and Ziva looks out on the road, if she were driving they would be at OSP by now.

"So how's Israel?" Vivian asked casually and Ziva instantly snapped up into a proper defense position.

"What makes you think I am from Israel?" she asked cautiously, many people here frowned upon Israelis.

"Take a chill pill girl, you think I work regularly with Iranian VEVAK or somethin?" she raised her eyebrows like Ziva was crazy and shook her head. "I got some beer in the back if you need one."

"No, I do not drink on the job Vivian." Ziva said firmly and Vivian nodded.

"Good, call me Viv by the way, good to know you got my back on this dangerous car trip." she teased and Ziva sat up again, not having even realized she relaxed.

"What are you talking about? There are IEDs and roadside ambushes just waiting to happen!" she exclaimed and gestured out the window.

"Calm down girl, jokes." Viv reassured her. Ziva nodded, confused, and sank down into her seat. They turned off a few of the busier streets and pulled up to a decrepit looking building.

"Is this the correct place?" Ziva asked, she did not want to walk into a trap.

"Ehh my gut says that Californians shouldn't be this smart about placing an OSP office." Viv commented and Ziva turned to look at her. "But that's just me being Texan. Hop out, some NCIS guy will probably jump out and try and scare us." Viv said confidently.

"You have done this before?" Ziva asked as she unbuckled.

"Yeah," Vivian said kind of downheartedly. Ziva nodded and headed to the front of the building and knocked on the door. "You'd think that when they send us to OSP they'd tell us how to get it." Viv grumbled when she saw a security camera at the corner of the building. "I have an idea." Vivian grinned, she grabbed a rock off the ground of the seemingly abandoned structure, tossed it in her hand once before throwing it with perfect aim at the camera. The camera was jostled so the wire was snapped out of its outlet. Within seconds two men came at them with guns. "Don't give them _any _reason to shoot." Viv said under her breath.

"Hey we're looking for this OSP office, know where to find it?" Viv called over to them and one of them holstered his weapon.

"Damn you Vivian." he growled and she smiled.

"Just reconnect the wires honey." she grinned and walked over to them, Ziva in tow.

"Who's the newbie?" a tall, dark man jerked his jaw in Ziva's direction.

"She's my partner," Viv replied, but the way she said it came out more like _pardner. _Mossad presence was not always welcome, the less people that knew, the better.

"Alright." the man eyed Ziva warily before showing them to an elevator on the side of the building.

After being shown around the OSP office Viv felt ready to hunt down some terrorists, she'd been itching for one of her leads to pop-up, and if it be Ari Haswari, a source of tension between the US and Israel, so be it. From her car ride with Ziva she knew why Ziva was there, it was a shame they were on opposite sides, she really liked the crazy Israeli. _I'm a poet and didn't know it, _she smiled to herself, the rhyme from first grade had stuck with her all these years.

"I'll get the team down from the Ops Center." Hanna said, his timbre lower than usual.

"Why can't Ziva and I go up?" Viv asked.

"They're having a little chat with Director Morrow." Hanna replied flatly.

"They finally got rid of Shepard." Viv said aloud, she had never liked Director Shepard, she was always like _oh you're like this because I'm a woman aren't you! _And whenever Vivian tried to tell her about Gibbs and Tony's general disregard for the rules she always excused them, _old flames never die_, she supposed.

"What do you mean, finally?" Hanna asked and Vivian gulped, she hated talking about this. Luckily she was saved by Ziva.

"Where is the porcelain can?" Ziva asked and Vivian raised her eyebrows.

"You mean the pot?" she asked and Ziva raised _her _eyebrows.

"Bathrooms are down the hall to your left." Hanna said and both women nodded.

"So what do you call crappers in Israel?" Vivian asked, the Israeli woman did not speak much.

"Why cannot you Americans have one universal term for the toilet!" Ziva exclaimed. They kept arguing about it all the way down the hall.

* * *

**CAITLINS POV**

"The FBI Agent and Mossad officer have arrived." Kensi called from the doorway to MTAC.

"Thank you Agent Blye, may I see them?" Morrow asked but Kensi shook her head.

"The FBI Agents from Texas and they got in an argument about what to call a toilet." Kensi replied, slightly embarrassed she had to deliver the news, but Morrow only nodded.

"Sounds like something she would do..." Morrow mumbled before returning to normal volume. "I had words with your boss and forensic scientist, your scientist will be out tomorrow and Gibbs should be there today, if he isn't, I'll know." he killed the MTAC feed and I looked over at Kensi.

"Has McGee contacted anyone?" I ask nervously, if something happened to him here I'll never forgive myself.

"No, Dom is missing too." Kensi turns white as a sheet as she says it, "I'm going to check his apartment, want to come?" she asks and I nod when I hear DiNozzo grumble,

"Should've stayed behind their computers." I let my mouth drop and full out smack that SOB.

"How can you say that about McGee? He's missing! We'll never be able to run background checks or anything!" I scream at him and Tonys face sours.

"This is what happens when McGeeks try and be field agents, they screw everything up!" Tony roars and I step back, appalled.

"Both of you SHUT UP!" Kensi yells and we both turn to look, "do neither of you care that your friend is _missing_? Or are you just missing his skills?" she sounds absolutely disgusted.

"Oh please, McGee was too wrapped up in his own virtual world to notice us, he only noticed when I rewarded the kid who stole his credit cards." Tony says heartlessly. Kensi looks ready to murder.

"That is _so _Tony." I hear a young womans voice say icily and I turn to see who this is. She is hidden in the dim lighting of MTAC, all I can make out is a brilliant swath of messy, curly, red hair. She steps into the open light and I see a young looking woman, she looks a little more mature though, like an old soul trapped in a thirty year olds body.

"Vivian?" Tony says, shocked.

"I see you two have met." Kensi says frostily, "this is the-" but the redhead cuts her off.

"I am the _FBI _Agent in charge, which means if you try any shit Tony, I _will _fire your ass off this case faster than a knife fight in a phone booth." she says fiercely and I notice she has a Texan accent.

"Why is someone from _Texas _here? Shouldn't we have someone from counterterroism?" I ask, she eyes me up and down curiously before answering.

"I'm Agent Vivian Blackadder by the way Kate. I caught Haswaris case after he went off the grid. We'd heard rumors he was in Los Angeles but we were, preoccupied." she says carefully. "Now what's this I hear about a missing agent?" she says professionally and I volunteer information before I even realize it.

"Our computer geek McGee ran out on us last night and we haven't heard from him since, or their geek Dominic Vail." I say and I see an emotion flash across Agent Blackadders face, disappointment maybe? But then it was like it was never there.

"Kensi, take Callen with you to scope out Dominics place, call his phone every five minutes, if no response in half an hour trace it." she barks and sends Kensi flying down the stairs.

"Callen!" she yells.

"So Vivian, who'd you have to sleep with to get your job back?" Tony taunts but she rolls her eyes and pops a York peppermint patty into her mouth before answering.

"Your mom." she replies, smirking and Tony scowls. I guess it must take something really immature to irk Tony.

"WHERE IS MCGEE! MCGEE GET YOUR ASS OUT HERE AND TRACE THIS DAMN THING!" I hear an angry voice roar. Vivians face pales a bit but she puts on her mask again. I hear someone talk to him downstairs, Vivian is lingering in the doorway and identifies who it is because she drops her other patty and bolts down the stairs.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE _YOU _DOING HERE? DID THOSE INCOMPETENT MARSHMALLOW BRAINED PEONS AT THE FBI HIRE YOU AGAIN? AND NOW YOU'RE IN CHARGE AFTER SPAIN?" Gibbs roars and then I hear a crack, not that of a gunshot but that of wood breaking.

"I wonder what boss did to Vivian!" Tony says like a child on Christmas and bolts down the stairs. I follow at a slower pace and take in the full scene. A dark-haired and elfish looking woman is standing behind Gibbs who has been shoved through a desk, not _through _it, into it. Vivian is gently tugging her away as Gibbs' face rises from the splinters, beet red. Tony runs to help him up but Gibbs smacks him away. Callen and Kensi walk in, Kensi tugs on him to leave but he walks into the bloodbath. Agents are yelling, some at the dark haired woman, some at Vivian, some at Gibbs. A hipster looking man whistles and all eyes look up. A dwarfish woman, Hetty, glares down at them all before pointing to us, the L.A. team and the elfish woman. She then nods to Eric and they walk up the steps together. The L.A. team walks up almost involuntarily except Kensi, who looks antsy to leave. Vivian and the other woman follow suit mechanically but Gibbs and Tony take a minute to catch up.

"You too Kate!" the old woman calls and I jog to catch up.

* * *

**VIVIANS POV**

Hetty called us back into her office after the scuffle on the floor. I'm still amazed by Zivas abilities. We file in and stand side by side. Ziva on my right and Kensi on my left.

"What happened down there? And I already have the tapes, I just want to hear it from you."

"I-" Ziva and I both start before looking at each other, before we can agree who should speak Kensi speaks up.

"Ma'am Callen and I were leaving to look for two missing agents, we didn't see anything and need to find them! Please let us go!" Kensi pleads and Hetty nods.

"No I want to hear this." Callen says and Kensi frowns.

"I'll go, I know what signs McGee leaves." Kate speaks up, I heard her in MTAC and I really wish she had turned out better than Tony and Gibbs. Of course being with them for so long can destroy your moral compass. I really want to know how this McGee turned out, I've been off the team for five years, I wonder if Kate and McGee replaced Dobbs and I, and if there was anyone before them. Hetty nods in assent and the two women leave. Kate left her purse on one of the chairs and turns to get it.

"Now tell me what happened." Hetty demands and Ziva and I once again speak at the same time. Ziva gestures to me so I go first.

"I was filling Agent Gibbs in on my current role-" I'm interrupted by Gibbs' snickers and Tony's glare. Hetty silences them. "I was filling in Agent Gibbs when he started yelling and reached for something on his holster line. Officer David-"

"Who's that?" Kate interrupts and Ziva turns to face her.

"I am Officer Ziva David from Israeli Mossad." Ziva says crisply and some of the air leaves the room. "I used a maneuver we use on assailants who are reaching for guns, which I assumed he was reaching for." she finishes matter-of-factly. Hetty beckons for Kate and Kensi to leave, then turns her attention to Gibbs and Tony.

"Anything you gentlemen would like to say?" Hetty asks. Silence until Hetty speaks again. "Agent Gibbs I suggest you keep that temper of yours in your pocket and don't let it out. Director Morrow is in MTAC council so I cannot make you leave Los Angeles. In the meantime do not make threats against visitor in _my _building." Hetty orders him. Gibbs gives her the same glare he used to give me when I shared my opinion or experience. Hetty doesn't back down, just like I didn't. "Agent Gibbs is there anything I can help you with?" she asks coolly, he shakes his head and she claps her hands together. "Well I don't see why you're staring at an aging woman then." she hops off her desk and walks out with Eric. Tony and Gibbs leave with Callen, shooting looks at us.

"Sorry about earlier." I say but she interrupts me.

"No, he is what we call in my country a _benzona _and a _mamzer_." She smiles and I nod slowly, making her laugh.


	8. Without A Trace

**KENSI'S POV**

* * *

Agent Blye pulled out her keychain and turned the key to Dominics apartment in the lock. A despondent expression is on her face, like she'd been through this before. Kensi thought back to the first time this happened. Islamic terrorists had hired professional kidnappers to abduct Dom to prompt a prisoner exchange. When they found where they were holding him in Los Angeles he'd taken a bullet meant for Sam from one of the terrorists machine guns. He'd barely lived. Kensi didn't want to see him near that point again, let alone past it. Having to search the place with a woman who had no respect for computer techies or knew anything about her made it even worse. Even if she was the determined psych profiler, second to Nate of course.

"So what happened?" Kate asked and Kensi looked up from Dominics bedroom.

"What do you mean?" she responded defensively.

"Something happened to Dom before, that's why you're so defensive." Kate inferenced. Kensi scowled before turning to face her.

"You wouldn't know or understand. So leave me alone." Kensi snapped. She turned to his bathroom and screamed before running to Dominics side. "NO! NO!" she screamed, "CALL THE MEDICS NOW!" Dom had a piece of the shattered mirror in his thigh and side. "Dom come on stay with me!" she said tensely, waving her hand in front of his face, she didn't dare roll him over or remove the shards. Dom groaned and Kensi gulped. "Don't you do this Dom, don't you do it again!" she cried and put her face next to his, "come on stay with me." she cooed as she stroked his face. "CALL THE DAMN MEDICS!" she yelled back to Kate.

"I did, I told them officer down." she said from the bedroom, unsure of what to make of this.

"Here that Dom, help is on the way, now stay wake, don't you sleep you hear me!" she cried in his ear, tears streaming down her face. "Don't you leave me." she whimpered.

* * *

**ZIVAS POV**

"Paramedics answered to an officer down call at Doms address three minutes ago." Sam barked as he ran past Callen, Viv, DiNozzo, Gibbs and Ziva. Viv gulped and Ziva grabbed her weapons.

"Where are the penetrators?" she asked and Sam stopped and wheeled on her.

"YOU THINK THIS IS FUNNY?" he yelled, Zivas eyebrows furrowed.

"No, do you?" she asked, bewildered. Sam muttered something about dumb foreigners before wheeling out. Vivian asked Callen if they knew who it was and he shook his head.

"Sounds like Dom though." he said grimly before following Sam. Ziva turned to Vivian.

"What do you say find the penetrators?" Ziva asked and Vivian smiled a bit, but it vanished.

"Do me a favor and _never _use that word again." Vivian said.

"Which one? Penetrator?" Ziva asked and Vivian giggled.

"Yes, that one. Now come on, we need forensics done." Vivian said as she called in an FBI team to analyze the crime scene unit.

* * *

Kensi winced as the hit a bump in the ambulance, blood spurted out of Dom. She knew she wouldn't be able to drive, thinking of what was going on in the ambulance would've driven her insane, but now she didn't think she wanted to see the life literally bleed out of her partner. The paramedics were yelling things that sounded like they were across the Pacific Ocean.

"Dom." she said and reached for his hand, but a paramedic held hers back.

* * *

Ziva was walking out to the car with Vivian, OSP had been placed on high alert and all operatives were to leave at random intervals of the day. Right now Vivian and Ziva were supposed to go on a lunch break and not come back until the next day. Ziva opened the passenger side door and Vivian got in on the drivers side, her expression grim. Vivian had called in an FBI forensics team and they were going to Doms apartment, then searching for McGee.

They stopped by the apartment but found no evidence of McGee ever being there. The CSU's overall report was that Dominic Vail had been attacked in his bathroom about an hour or so before Agents Todd and Blye arrived. It also appeared he had been held hostage in his home for some time and tortured. It made Vivians stomach turn. Ziva had a mask on the whole time, growing up in Israel made things like this not seem too bad.

They were driving near the outside of Los Angeles when Vivian slammed on the breaks, much to the annoyance of the man tailgating her. She made a hard left and pulled up to a construction sight.

"Those license plates, McGee rented that car from the agency correct?" Ziva asked and Vivian nodded, she pulled out a radio and transmitted the situation to everyone within a ten mile radius.

"Come on." Vivian said, getting out of the car. Ziva followed. They walked up to the door and ducked inside, guns drawn, safeties off. They cleared the monstrosity floor by floor. On the twentieth Ziva called out.

"Vivian, there is an iPhone!"

"Kate said McGee had Tony's right?" Vivian asked and Ziva nodded.

"I think we found where he was abducted." Ziva said, looking down at the cracked screen, reflecting them in fragments.


	9. In My Country We Say

**Vivian and Dobbs were the original Kate and McGee of NCIS, they were only on JAG, no one knows what happened to them. Dobbs only appeared in Ice Queen, while Vivian appeared in Meltdown. **

* * *

**VIVIANS POV**

"I want this official, one agent assaulted, attempted murder and one abducted." Vivian told her boss over her cell phone the next day. Callen, Gibbs, Tony, Ziva and Caitlin waiting patiently behind her, except Gibbs of course, he acted like he was gracious to loan her his time. Sam and Kensi were at the hospital with Dom, they would call if there were any changes.

"Alright Blackadder, don't drag your feet." the man on the other end said before hanging up.

"Alright class listen up," Vivian began when Gibbs cleared his throat.

"Since you're the one with inferior field experience I demand lead on this case." Gibbs gave him her infamous stare and Vivian gave him an equally frosty one.

"You want to know the reasons I'm lead, _Jethro_? One I actually give a shit that two agents have been attacked and one may be dead. Two, this was FBI from the start, three you're on personnel review, if your reviews go bad the whole case could get thrown out in court." Vivian said coolly and logically.

"I'll make them confess."

"It's called an appeal and police coercion Gibbs." Vivian said condescendingly. "And right now it seems that Sullivan Industries is behind this, these events didn't start until Petty Officer Jasna was murdered. I want non-stop surveillance on the CEO's and I want Callen and Hanna talking to Haswari and his pals. Ziva you're with me and Tony you and Kate can run background checks on everyone the CEO's have made any form of contact with in the past six months, even if it was a postal worker. Go!" Vivian barked and everyone scattered, Kate shuffled to a computer, Callen headed to an elevator and called Hanna, Gibbs and Tony stood in the middle of the floor.

"Something I can help you with gentlemen?" Vivian asked but then Eric _yelled _at them to get their asses up there now.

"We have a location on McGee!"

* * *

**MCGEES POV**

McGee didn't remember much since he'd started messing with Tony's phone. Someone tackled him and pressed something against his mouth, it smelled sickly sweet. He'd swung at the attacker with construction tools but they pinned him down. He had flashes of being in a trunk, someones muffled screaming in an apartment and then here. Wherever here was. He heard muffled voices in what sounded like a Slavic language, but he wasn't sure.

"Take off blindfold." he heard a pidgined voice say and the blindfold was removed.

"Sadit'sya." one of them said to someone behind him, but when he turned to look one of them hit him with his gun.

"Stay." an older looking man said, McGee took note there were three older men, about forty and a younger thirty something man and woman. He memorized how one of them only spoke, their facial features and clothes. They mumbled in their language before the younger man came over and stood behind him.

"Don't give me any reason to shoot you." the man said with a Bostonian accent and McGee was hauled to his feet. The man prodded him forward and he heard the others discuss something behind him and McGee took in his surroundings, there was a concrete floor, that metal sheeting for the roof and walls. Bright patches of sunlight filtered in through the holes and McGee felt how hot it was, it was humid. He breathed a sigh of relief he was not in some desert, Boy Scouts hadn't covered that much. He was shoved into a chair and he tried to catch his balance with his hands, but they were unable to move.

"Tell us about Sullivan." the heavily accented man demanded.

"Who?" McGee asked and he got a punch from the younger man.

"I ask again, tell us about Sullivan." McGee said nothing and he felt a white hot pain snap across his face, the butt of a gun. He saw the blood spit out of his mouth and felt some teeth crack. This went on for several hours.

* * *

They finally left him alone as the sunlight faded into moonlight and the Slavs retreated into some other area of the building. McGee slowly lifted his head and felt the ropes around his wrists, they were more snug around his right wrist, _good_, the left-handed young man thought. When he heard some laughter he started looping his left hand out before untying the other. He stood up and sat back down out of dizziness. He probably had a concussion, he remembered something like this happening to Tony or Kate, he thought.

McGee realized he didn't know their visibility, location or a way out. He was surprised he'd thought of that, he was so often left behind the desk, he'd need to focus everything on his survival. He crept low in their line of vision, he had read online that humans expect you in their line of vision, not on the ground or above them, which clearly was not an option.

He snuck behind the odd materials while making not of them, sheet metal, plywood, pallets, plastic canisters, industrial cans with the biological hazard symbol on them, McGee steered clear of those, if he escaped this he didn't want to die of biological poisoning a few months or years later. Maybe they were planning some bio-terror attack. McGee found the door leading out and looked around, maybe they were waiting for him, he was surprised at the low security. He saw no glaring warning signs so he opened the door slowly, slipped out and closed it in the same manner. He headed straight for some shrub to hide in but what he saw surprised him. He was in a mountain range with abundant trees and he assumed, lakes. He glanced over his shoulder before heading out of the metal building to the treeline.

McGee started breaking branches his own special way, the leafy end pointed to where he came from, the wooded end to where he was going. He knew that late October was a hard time to catch hikers so he would be on his own. He hoped he could do this, no, he could do this! McGee steeled himself and began going down the steep decline.

* * *

**ABBYS POV**

The lab rat skulked as she stood by an NCIS Agent at the airport. Morrow didn't trust her to hop on the plane on her own so he assigned Agent Matthew Townsend to follow her and made sure she got on the jetway and did not get off, then an OSP officer would escort her to their office before dropping her off at the same hotel the others were. Hetty didn't like sending one of her agents off to pick up some scientist but Morrow made her.

"God Abby I warned you not to wear metal." Townsend scolded as Abby _finally _got through the metal detectors. After the terrible McGee had contaminated her evidence he was now the reason she was to fly out to Los Angeles, where she had been kidnapped and nearly killed by the Phantom! That traitor would get his neck wringed by her!

"It's not my fault airport security hates Goths!" Abby snipped and she saw Townsends eyes flash for a moment before returning to their normal blue.

"Abby, would you rather be blown up by a terrorist?" he asked in a low voice, "or go as a _normal _person for a mere five or six hours?" he asked sarcastically but Abby still pouted, downgraded to her pigtails, makeup, jeans, black leather boots, and red t-shirt. Her jewelry? Gone. Her piercings? Gone. If Gibbs were here he would have yelled some sense into the dumb guards and let her wear them. Morrow had also made sure she packed a dress shirt and skirt. 'Office clothes' he called them, they had no personality!

"Blown up, this feels worse." Abby whined and Townsends fists clenched and unclenched, she knew he had been a victim of an explosion in his days as a marine but that didn't mean Abby had to.

"Onto the concourse." Townsend directed Abby, she wish Kate were here, she'd help her evade Townsend, or Tony would bring up some incident only he would remember to make Townsend leave. And she would sweet-talk McGee into hacking the system to say she'd left. That's all he really was good for, one-time sex and computers. And placing the blame on of course, if the lab rat messed up she'd miss her Caf-Pows. Townsends eyes flitted down to the plane ticket and back up.

"Terminal 2," he grunted, Abby had packed so many clothes and makeup Townsend had to lug some of her things around so she wouldn't miss her flight. They pulled up to her jetway and her group was boarding. He put her luggage on that going onto the plane before giving turning to her. "If you leave Los Angeles before you are dismissed you will be suspended a week for every day you left early," Townsend quoted Morrow and Abby rolled her eyes. As if Gibbs would let that happen.

"Whatever," she said breezily and trotted onto the jetway.

* * *

**GIBBS' POV**

Leroy Jethro Gibbs had never waited on anyone in his life and he was not about to start now. Especially with McGee. Gibbs had left first as a precaution the day of the attack. So when Gibbs picked up his phone and the only calls he'd had were from DiNozzo and Kate he'd been beyond angry! The probie hadn't even bothered to report to him! So when Gibbs walked in on the bullpen he had no idea what he was in for.

_"I want this official, one agent tortured, attempted murder and one abducted." Vivian told what Gibbs assumed to be her boss, he still couldn't believe that the FBI had been stupid enough to hire Vivian after Spain. Sam and Kensi were at the hospital, understandable since their partner could die. He wasn't surprised to see Callen and smiled at the thought, Tony walked right over to him with a grin on his face. Ziva and Kate stood near Vivian, silent and still._

_"Alright Blackadder, don't drag your feet." the man on the other end said before hanging up. Vivian snapped her phone shut._

_"Alright class listen up," Vivian began until Gibbs cleared his throat._

_"Since you're the one with inferior field experience I demand lead on this case." he was obviously referencing Spain and Tony snickered. Gibbs also gave her his infamous stare and Vivian gave him an equally frosty one. Gibbs started to wonder if people were going blind._

_"You want to know the reasons I'm lead, Jethro? One I actually give a shit that two agents have been attacked and one may be dead. Two, this was FBI from the start, three you're on personnel review, if your reviews go bad the whole case could get thrown out in court." Vivian said icily. _

_"I'll make them confess." Jethro replied confidently, everyone else would soon see she couldn't handle lead._

_"It's called an appeal and police coercion Gibbs." Vivian said smart-assedly. "And right now it seems that Sullivan Industries is behind this, these events didn't start until Petty Officer Jasna was murdered. I want non-stop surveillance on the CEO's and I want Callen and Hanna talking to Haswari and his pals. Ziva you're with me and Tony you and Kate can run background checks on everyone the CEO's have made any form of contact with in the past six months, even if it was a postal worker. Go!" Vivian barked and everyone scattered, Kate shuffled to a computer, Callen headed to an elevator and called Hanna, Gibbs and Tony stood in the middle of the floor._

_"Something I can help you with gentlemen?" Vivian asked but then Eric yelled at them to get their asses up there now._

_"We have a location on McGee!"_

* * *

**VIVIANS POV**

Vivian shot up the stairs, she hated agents going missing and wanted to get this one back. She was the first in the Ops Center, followed closely by Ziva and Kate. Callen was calling in Hanna while Tony and Gibbs shuffled their feet, _of course_, Vivian thought.

"Where's he?" she asked and Eric turned to the screen.

"Just outside Bakersfield on the west side. We did a satellite feed on it first, to make sure there were no traps or something and all we found was this phone, it was calling OSP when it was presumably thrown out a window." Eric explained.

"So we should assume the kidnappers are heading north into the Sierra Nevadas?" Vivian asked, unsure of Californian geography.

"More or less," Eric answered, when he saw Callen walk in he repeated himself.

"How do y'all wanna split up?" Vivian asked and Callen spoke up.

"Sam said he'll be in about fifteen minutes from now." Vivian nodded and thought about the situation, they needed people on Sullivan Ind. to stop all this madness, if they found out the identities of all the agents on the case, the violence would never stop. Sullivan Ind. would continue to try and intimidate them from investigating them.

"Callen tell Sam I still want y'all on Sullivan, it's the only way to stop more things like this from happening. From now on _wherever _you go, even it's on the crapper-"

"Toilet too." Ziva added, some of them laughed.

"Anyway," Vivian continued, "be on guard no matter what, I recommend sleeping with a gun on a nightstand or under a pillow. I'm going with Gibbs, Tony and Kate to get McGee," she waved for the MCRT to follow her but Gibbs and DiNozzo stepped up to her, a little too closely.

"You see Vivian, after Spain, Gibbs and I have allot of doubt in your leadership abilities and the ability to keep us safe, it sure would be a shame if that showed up again in your file wouldn't it?" Tony said seriously.

"Have fun," she said sarcastically and pushed in-between them. "Ziva I almost forgot, since the whole Haswari thing I don't want you anywhere _near _Sullivan Ind okay? I want you to learn some things from Eric here about computers, we need you to be able to read American systems for discrepancies." Ziva nodded and Vivian gestured to the MCRT. "Who wants to drive?" she asked and Kate and Tony grappled for the keys. "I lied I'm driving," she teased and walked out the door.

* * *

**CAITLINS POV**

After sitting in the passenger side of Agent Blackadders driving, I can honestly say she is a decent driver. Sure she likes to speed, _allot_, but it's nowhere near as scary as Gibbs. She brought some GPS device that started pinging since we left Los Angeles. We get out of the car as the pings increase in volume. We're soon looking down at a shattered iPhone, Tonys iPhone. Tony yells and is about to kick it when Vivian trips him.

"DiNozzo, never, _ever__, _destroy evidence on my watch," Vivian says calmly but menacingly. Tony brushes himself off and lets Vivian take up the bits of his phone. "If we're lucky we'll get partials," Vivian murmured. "Come on, lets check the cameras and show McGees photo around."


	10. Agent Found, Agent Down

**CAITLINS POV**

* * *

"So far nada," Vivian says into the Motorola Razr she has attached to her ear. _What did she do to get on Gibbs bad side? But then again allot of people do that with ease. _Kate ponders, _maybe it's Eric on the phone, telling her that Mossad officer is joining us, _I scowl at the thought, that woman wants Haswari, but after he tried to kill me I won't tolerate anyone on his side.

"Kate!" Vivian barks, snapping her out of her thoughts.

"What?" She asks irritably.

"Do you know anything about tracking McGee? Anything helpful at all?" Vivian asks, Kate shrugs. "Are you shitting me? You work with the man for five years and you can't think of any kind of trail he would lead? Any training he was given?" Vivian demands.

"No, he was never trained for field work," I reply, a shocked look flashes across her face, then an annoyed one.

"So you let him sit behind a desk the whole five years?" Vivian asks, clearly infuriated.

"Yeah, the last time we let him in the field he got tasered, God it was funny," I smile and Vivian snaps around and slams her foot into the car tire.

"Goddammit Kate I hope this is your freaky coping mechanism or some weird shit like that! He could be dead!" Vivian roars as she wheels back on me.

"Probably is, he should have stayed in Cyber Crimes. And calm down you've never even met him," I reassure her and she looks like she could kill.

"That's what makes it worse, it means I can't think of something you've obviously overlooked!" Vivian slams her fist into the car door and takes a deep breath, she mutters something under her breath before regaining composure. "God I hope you can track people like you can deer," she finally breaths before opening the car door. "Get in, we're driving to a grocery store," Vivian says firmly and I circle around the car.

* * *

"Hey," Vivian says as she walks up to a greeter, a nice elderly woman, "ma'am we've been wondering if you've seen any new people here, ones you've never heard of." Vivian asks politely and the old woman smiles.

"Yes there was a group of five, they sounded Russian, I knew they were up to no good," the grandmother smiles knowingly and Vivians face pales a little as she tells us the number.

"Ma'am, did you notice anything they were bought or brought with them? Maybe their clothes?"

"Oh yes, they were dressed for hiking, you'd think they had enough mountains in Russia. Who do you work for anyway?" she asks suspiciously.

"Government, thank you ma'am, did they mention where they were going?"

"No, it was all in Russian," the woman smiles and Vivian nods.

"Thank you for your time ma'am,"

"No problem, have a nice day," Vivian nods and walks to the car, I follow.

"So what do you think?" I ask.

"Sounds professional, and combing the Sierra Nevadas doesn't sound promising," Vivian grimaces, "I'm calling Beale and getting him to thermal sensor the ranges near here," she walks off to make the call so I pull out my Samsung Galaxy to call Gibbs.

"What have you got Kate? And whatever you heard from _her _don't bother reporting, she's inept, and don't let her call you Kate, she has to call you Caitlin" Gibbs barks and I nod like a soldier.

"Sounds like five Russians ready for mountain gear, what have you got?" I ask and I hear Gibbs exhale.

"Are you the Team Leader Kate?" he demands and I reply,

"No sir,"

"Then don't ask what I've got, I expected you to know this already, DiNozzo!" I hear him yell before he hangs up.

"Kate I got-"

"Call me Caitlin," I say coldly, if Gibbs doesn't trust her, I don't trust her.

"Okay, _Kate_, Ziva said we should look for places they would temporarily hold McGee, and anything he would have left indicating he'd been there or where he went, Ziva is driving up here and she'll replace you so you can join Gibbs and Tony, did they find anything on the traffic cams or anyone see McGee?" Vivian asked and I stepped forward, curious.

"How did you know I just called Gibbs? Did you tap my phone?"

"No, you just now insisted I call you Caitlin after 36 hours and Gibbs is _very _authoritarian," she smirks at the last part and I frown, why would she hate Gibbs? He solves crimes faster than anyone I know.

"Well he's not authoritarian," I protest and Vivian rolls her eyes and makes them big,

"Okay," she says sarcastically, then looks at me in all seriousness, "what did they find?"

"He wouldn't tell me," I say defiantly.

"Has he changed his number in the last five years?" she asks randomly.

"Yes," I reply, surprised. She smirks and whips out her phone, presses numbers blazingly fast on her keypad and brings the Razr up to her ear. "Gibbs tell me what you found or I will have your ass personally handed to the review board," she threatens and I move to grab the phone from her. She _mhmms _and _uhuh'_s when a look of pure hate crosses her face, "if you bring that up I will nail your ass to the wall," she says slowly, but she sounds murderous. She hangs up, a scowl on her face. I notice she has some laugh lines, odd, all I've seen her do is scowl.

"What was that about?" I ask and she shakes her head, her face clearing.

"Somethin from a _long _time ago," she murmurs and hops into the car, "hurry up I'm starved," she says normally and I hop in.

* * *

**ONE HOUR LATER**

* * *

**ZIVAS POV**

I look over at Kensi, she hasn't awoke since we left Los Angeles, I figured she must not have slept much at the hospital, I've never slept a hospital unless I was drugged. I arrived at the Mexican food restaurant and see Vivian and Todd walking out, I try to avoid Todd when I can, after what Ari did I would not want to see much of me. I decide to let Kensi sleep and step out of the car as Vivian elegantly spits taco out of her mouth and I hear her accented voice from across the street.

"You call _this _Mexican food, damn," she says as she spits out more taco, "Tex-Mex is better."

"Oh and what else have you had besides Tex-Mex?" Todd snips.

"Mexican Mexican food," Vivian replies and is about to toss her taco in the trash when I grab her wrist.

"I have not eaten," I say and she hands it over to me.

"Girl, after this we're taken a surprise visit to Ciudad Juarez or somethin and I'm gettin you _real _Mexican food," Vivian promises and I smile.

"And how many times have you been to Mexico? It is dangerous, cartels and all," I tease and she looks off to side, like trying to remember something.

"Spring break, summer, summer again, spring break, summer, summer, summer, Christmas or was that Thanksgiving... wait up that was Día de Muertos, no-"

"I'm kidding," I remind her and she smiles.

"Alright we gotta drive _Caitlin _over here to Gibbs," she frowns a bit at his name.

"I will drive, my car is here," I assure her and grab for my keys when Vivian stops me,

"Nope, nope not doing that again, my Whataburger almost came back up!" Vivian exclaims and I roll my eyes,

"Come on I'm pretty good for teaching myself to drive, and who eats fastfood for breakfast?" I ask.

"Me, and no, _no _you are not good, _at all_! I want to _liiiiveee_!" Vivian teases and I roll my eyes.

"You Texans are so, _weird,_" I say and she scoffs.

"Us, weird? Please!" she says and grabs the keys to the car they drove, "Ziva you brought Kensi right?" she asks and I nod my head.

"She is asleep-" I start and Vivian grabs my keys but I grab them back, "let her sleep, yeesh you're so impatient," I say and she nods in mock agreement.

"Alright, wake up Kensi, she and _Caitlin _are driving around and meeting Gibbs, you and I are headed up the mountain!" she says with faux enthusiasm and I nod. I walk over to the car with Vivian and rap on the glass, jolting Kensi awake. She gets out of the car, blinking.

"Are we in Bakersfield?" she asks and I nod.

"You're going with Todd," I tell her and she nods, shuffling towards her.

"Come on," Kensi grumbles and walks slowly across the street for a coffee, Todd follows. Vivian hops in on the drivers side and I on the passenger.

"So how long is the drive to the Nevadas?" I ask and Vivian shrugs.

"Dunno, let's see what the map says," she says, flipping out a map of Los Angeles and the surrounding area, I see some Expo marker markings, some old and a few new ones.

"What are these markings?" I ask, pointing to a faded 'x' in the middle of a desert, she frowns and tells me to only look at the black ones. I nod and look. "So about half an hour?" I estimate and she shrugs again.

"Close enough," we sit in the car for ten minutes, listening to a radio station that plays music from the 1980s and 1990s before it fades out. Vivian flips off the radio and starts a conversation, "so where ya from?" she asks.

"Israel," I reply.

"C'mon girl gimme something more specific!" she demands enthusiastically, "I'm gonna have you on my back for who knows how long, I wanna know some stuff about you," when I don't reply she sighs, "alright I'll start, I was born in 1980 in Texas City and lived there my whole life with my brother Rex," that's all she says so I tell her some things about me.

"I'm from Beer Sheva and I was born in 1982, I lived with my older half-brother Ari and younger sister, Tali," my voice tightens when I say her name, Vivian pretends not to notice.

"Your parents?" she asks politely and I grunt.

"My mother was killed ten years ago, my father..." I drop off and she nods, "and you?"

"Who knows," she says tersely but asks another question, "favorite vacation?"

"Once we went to Sarajevo," I say and she nods.

"Mexico."

"Any pets?" I ask and she shakes her head.

"Always wanted to be a professional barrel racer," she remarks and laughs, I furrow my eyebrows.

"Barrel, racer?" I ask and she stops.

"You know at a rodeo the person on a horse has to navigate around barrels without touching them, simply put," she looks at me and I shake my head, "I'll show you a YouTube video sometime."

"I wanted to be a ballerina," I say and she smiles.

"Me too, when I was in dance anyway," she looks into the distance and nearly misses a turn.

"So how is your brother now?" I ask and the speed of the car increases, as does her grip on the steering wheel.

"Killed in the USS Cole bombing," she replies tightly and I nod, "and your siblings?"

"Tali was killed in a Hamas suicide bombing when she was sixteen," I reply tightly as well and am surprised I even spoke of it, I rarely tell people. She nods and we come up at a foothill.

"C'mon," she says as she pulls over, stops the car and hops out, I follow.

"Where do we begin?" I ask and she pulls out her map.

"Beale said on the top of this mountain he found five people moving outwards down the slope in even intervals, no read on McGee," she says, "have your gun ready, we're gonna walk a good distance apart, out of sight but in yelling distance, call for Eric if you need backup, he'll read you your exact location and mine," she pops the trunk and I see two _big _guns, the kind they use in raids. "We're using these, we don't know skill or exact numbers, we'd normally wait for backup but we can't wait while an agents in danger, if fired upon identify yourself as _FBI loudly, _if fire is returned shoot," Vivians slams the trunk shut and hands me a small, black walkie talkie. "Station 4, use if cell has no service, good luck," she points out where I will begin and work my way up and her route. "Also if you find McGee, radio or call me immediately and we'll make our way back to the car and then cordon off the area. Got it?" I nod and she loads her weapon, clicking the magazine shut. "Lets go."

* * *

**KENSIS POV**

I've been sitting with the MCRT at a bar a booth away and hate them already, they act like only NCIS can handle crap that comes our way and that everyone is out to get us. Gibbs is the worst, he's so controlling, at least Callen doesn't bark at us like we're dogs. My phone rings and I see it's Vivian, she debriefs me where she is and the situation, I snap up and turn to the MCRT. I explain the situation to them and Tony makes a comment,

"Finally McGoo can replace my iPhone," I'm ready to slap him when Gibbs cuts me the glare, I realize assaulting someone in a _bar _would not win me any favors.

"Look, we're out her in Buttonwillow when we should've stayed in Bakersfield," I hiss, Tony looks at me like I'm crazy.

"Look, _Blye_, we're trying to solve the Sullivan case, take Kate along the check out this McGeek possibility," he says patronizingly, and diverts his attention to the laptop in front of them.

"Do you not care he's _missing_?" Tony slams the laptop shut and glares at me,

"He probably realized he couldn't hack it as a real agent, let alone OSP, and is on a flight to D.C., Kate take her," he tells her and she rises, taking me with her.

"C'mon," I hiss, hating being led out by an MCRT.

* * *

**VIVIANS POV**

After nearly two hours of fruitless combing up the densely wooded mountain someone tackles me facedown, wraps their hand around my mouth and pulls a gun to my head.

"Don't move," the voice hisses and I feel red-hot fury flood through my veins, Gibbs has the goddamn nerve to tackle me on an Op, I squirm and he pulls me tighter. "Viv, I used to do this for a living, don't move, you'll give away our position like last time," he says and I flip him off me and put some distance between us.

"What the _hell_!" I hiss, "you probably just gave away my position!" I growl and he shakes his head.

"Please your hair-"

"Is in a cap!" I remind him and he looks up. "How did you get up here anyway?" I ask and he smirks.

"DiNozzo took a Jeep for governmental purposes and drove it up until we hit trees," he says, like I was stupid not to think of it, I was stupid to remind him not to.

"They'll hear the engine and split! I'm almost at the lake, stay close," I order him and start heading up the mountain. After twenty minutes of hearing continuous breathing I turn back, Gibbs is heading to the left. "Gibbs!" I hiss and he looks at me, _follow_ _**me,**_ I mouth and he shakes his head before tearing off through the bushes, I remember he was a scout sniper or something for the Marines and is probably doing some military thing, or taking a piss.

* * *

It's been three hours and I phone Beale, I made Ziva promise only to call every half hour to clarify any new movements.

"Head northeast, someone is about five hundred yards up the slope, and be careful, I think there's a dot on top of yours, which means they're close, or you're extra hot," it makes sense, I've been sweating like a whore in church.

"Thanks," I whisper, "call you in forty minutes," I hang up and head northeast. I've gone about three hundred yards when I see a metal monstrosity where nothing metal, let alone manmade should be, I duck into the brush and crawl forward. I radio in to Ziva my approximate location and call Beale.

"Beale what's going on? I'm twenty yards south of a metal building," I rasp into the phone.

"Well there is a dot near you, it could be Ziva but I'm not sure, she doesn't have a satellite phone so I can't track her. It's northwest of the shack by thirty yards. Can't find McGee due to slopes and interfaces, you'll have to track him," the call is cut and I instantly snap my Razr into my pocket, some nice FBI techie had integrated the satellite phone device for me, he knew I hated smartphones and big, clunky ones. I get into a ball, my back to the tree and turn off my safety. I stealthily turn and look around, I see a slight rustle in the bushes when my phone buzzes, I silence it and creep toward the noise, it's a rabbit. I breath a sigh of relief and answer my phone.

"Blackadder," I reply and hear Callen on the other end.

"We're driving to you, try and wait for Hanna, he was a SEAL. Also do _not _let these people catch you, you understand?" he says and I nod.

"Yeah I know, they're-"

"No, Dom woke up and he accessed a database, he called in and told us that once back in the 1990s that some team of cops joined together and they all disappeared, were transferred or were killed, accidental or cold case."

"Callen that was the 90s," I pant as I climb up the tree and perch, peering around, "we're federal agents and ten times the scientific abilities," I say quietly, hoping I'm not spotted in the thick brush.

"Look, find the Mossad officer and stay together!" he says urgently and hangs up. I call Beale next.

"Beale where is Ziva?" I ask.

"Either very close to you or thirty yards southwest, the others are slowly trickling back Vivian, you better" he replies and I gulp, this is the first time in a long time I wish Gibbs was near me. I hope Ziva is too, after seeing what she saw with Gibbs and that desk. I hop down from the tree and roll, silencing my fall. I rise to a low crouch and stay in level with the grass. I am camouflaged to where if you give a cursory glance, you won't see me. I head a little ways south of the building and see a broken tree branch. I notice the bare end is facing away from the cabin. I take a chance and follow it down the slope. I see one not too far away.

_McGee, _I think and smile with pride, though I've never met the man. I slowly follow the system of tree branches, I'm almost three branches down a steep slope when Gibbs blocks my path.

"What're you doing?" he asks, stepping towards me.

"Gibbs, not now, we're surrounded!" I hiss but he doesn't listen. "Just follow me," I say and he does, surprisingly. I see a clearing up ahead and crouch down lower than before. I turn back to Gibbs and see him walking to the right, his sights and gun up. I creep up behind him and follow suit, he uses hand motions to tell me he saw a glance of someone, I nod and hang back a little.

"Do not move," an accented voice says clearly and a streak of pain shoots through me, that's not an Israeli accent. I look for Gibbs but he is nowhere to be found. "Get on your knees," at first I refuse and I feel them hit me in the back with the butt of their gun and I fall forward. I throw my hands out to catch myself reflexively and the gun lands an inch away from my hands, I'm reaching for it but a booted foot stomps down on my hand and I feel something crack. I'm about to cry out but I see their large guns and stop myself.

"Shoot," I hear a second voice say, a woman's. I hear the shooter click off their safety and I crazily roll to my left, the bullets hitting where my body just was. Their guns are also silenced perfectly, meaning no one else will hear this. I grab my unsilenced pistol from it's holster and fire three shots at the shooter, a young looking man. He falls to the ground and I aim it at the woman but she is being tackled by Tony. They roll around and I know he won't win, he's distracted when Gibbs and Ziva barge into area, Gibbs like an elephant in a china shop and Ziva like a mouse in church, _well synagogue, she's a Jewish mouse_, I oddly think. Then I see Tony get flung off the woman. She reaches for her gun and aims it at Ziva and Gibbs. I'm on my feet before my synapses can even catch up._  
_

I've seen too many good agents die because their partner was dumb or was clumsy enough to trip over a cordless phone. I see the line of fire before the gun is even discharged and jump into it, _they don't have vests,_ is all I can think. I hear someone yell, like I'm at the end of a tunnel as the bullets slam into my chest, a pain like nothing else, not when that man in Sudan drove a knife into my stomach, not when shrapnel was embedded in my thigh and back, certainly not when I'd gotten anthrax in Saltillo. Everything started swirling like in a memory, the colors washing out, sounds being fuzzed out and echoed, then it was all nothing.

* * *

**ZIVAS POV**

"Vivian!" I yelled and reflexively fired two shots into the womans skull. Both hit. I caught Vivian as she fell and pressed my hands to her wounds as hard as I could. She coughs and blood comes out, mixed with saliva. She opens her mouth and says my name,

"Ziva," she pants but I shush her.

"Do not speak, save your strength!" I order but she keeps going.

"Ziva, the branches, McGee, follow them-" she's cut off by another cough, this one with more blood, I call Eric and tell him the situation, I tell him to land the helicopter in the nearby clearing. Vivians stopped coughing and I nudge her.

"No, do not you die on me!" I scream at her and her eyes flutter open.

"It-it hurts," she says and I feel a tear stream down my face, I've barely known this woman, but she was so kind to me when I had been closed off.

"Stay strong help is coming," I say, I look up and see DiNozzo lingering around by the body and Gibbs is sort of looking around, not like a guard at all. "Help her, stop the bleeding!" I cry and Tony shuffles over, he brought the womans jacket and uses it to keep his hands off her wounds. It feels like a lifetime, Vivian paling by the second, Gibbs staring off in the distance not even looking for anything, Tony barely keeping pressure, I'm glad I'm the one keeping pressure on the hole near the artery. Tony hears Vivians radio bleat and takes it to get better signal.

"Ziva, Ziva," she says, I am the only one here who will listen to her, who will help her, "Ziva, you must, you must find McGee," she orders me and I nod. "Hussan, Hussan Mohammed, he, he killed Rex," she whispers and I strain to hear her, I know what she wants me to do. She wants me to find him, to bring him to Israel or America, where justice will be served. I feel Vivian exhale and then paramedics lift her onto a stretcher and onto the helicopter. I know that even if she lives, this moment will never be spoken of. I look down on the ground and see and oddly broken tree branch. Its stubby end is facing away from the peak and the leafy end towards the peak, odd, it even has the wrong leaves.

"_the brances, McGee, follow them,_" Vivian had said, I realized what she meant. If she was going to die or already had now was the time to follow McGee. I leapt up off the ground and headed in the direction the branch indicated. I kept following them, despite Gibbs' yelling and Tonys complaining of how the medic hadn't even glanced at him. I kept going, I had kept Talis last promise, I was going to keep Vivians, if it was not her last.

* * *

About two hours later I was in valley at dusk, no more branches which meant McGee was camped somewhere. Caitlin Todd and Tony had joined me in the search. I saw the outlines of Kensi and Hanna as well so Callen was nearby. I told Caitlin and Tony to look around and split up. I headed to a steep rocky bank and started calling McGees name, the others followed suit.

I had felt the guilt ever since Vivian jumped up, that she had taken a bullet and could have very well died for me, Vivian wasn't the kind of person who should die. She should get married, have kids, grandkids and die of old age in a nice, warm bed with her family. Not on some Godforsaken mountaintop by professional kidnappers. I knew I had to keep a lid on the emotions until the operation was over, if I hadn't mastered this skill I would've been dead my first op outside of Israel. I slipped on some rocks and threw out my hands, cutting myself on the palm, I winced.

"Damn," I whispered, then I saw the light coming from the crevice ahead. Stealthily I drew my weapon, clicked the safety off and crept forward. After nearly slipping on a few rocks I was right outside the outcropping. I slipped around it and aimed my gun inside, I saw a young, skinny, pale young man warming his hands by the fire. His face was marred with bruises and cuts, his wrists were red and his right eye swollen shut.

"Are you NCIS Agent McGee?" I asked sharply and he snapped up. "Do not move," I warned him, "are you McGee?"

"I am Timothy McGee," he answered cautiously, "who are you?"

"Ziva David, Israeli Mossad. Come I will help you down, I don't bite," I teased and grabbed him under the arm, I felt him wince but he rose. Then I saw how badly his foot had been shot.

"David has McGee!" Kensi hollered when she saw us, instantly searchlights, flashlights, and cellphones were on us. People checked McGee out and ordered a helicopter in, like the one for Vivian. I frowned when I saw Gibbs and Tony chatting up Hetty, why was Hetty here? I walked over to her and she nodded.

"Good job Officer David, you are released for the day." She made a similar announcement and everyone cheered. Tomorrow the investigation into Sullivan would begin. Dom might return to work, Vivian might live and I could be sent back to Israel for the lack of leads on Ari. But right now I was going to go visit the woman who saved my life.

* * *

**So I'm not sure if I want to kill off Vivian or not, I feel like her story should be told.**


	11. Recover, Recoil, Revenge

**BTW I'm a girl so I'm only gonna write from a females POV mostly, others thrown in the mix. I'm also thinking about adding in some JAG and federal prosecutors later on, so anyone who knows anything about JAG I would love your knowledge. I hope my Kensi is getting better, I don't know much about NCIS LA. :)**

* * *

**KENSIS POV**

* * *

Kensi looked across the office space glumly. Callen and Hanna got nothing from Sullivan except a shy, nervous accountant. They said they would send Nell and Hanna next time so Nell could communicate with her. Eric Beale whistled and they all headed up the steps. She noticed that Officer David wasn't here, Gibbs and Tony were walking off the elevator and then, _Dom_. Kensi instantly forgot about Erics summoning, she ran over to Dom and hugged him.

"Oh my God," she said into his shoulder and she felt him wince, so she pulled away, "I'm sorry-"

"It's alright, Hetty says I'm not to leave my desk, we don't know where the leak is so I have to come in, but be gentle with me!" he warns as I am about to hug him again.

"Okay, are you sure you're up for this after McGee-"

"What happened to McGee? Was he? Oh God!" he sinks into a chair and I place my hand on his shoulder, he winces but I hold on.

"Dom, you want to go home?" I ask, worried beyond belief.

"No Kensi, he, he was in my apartment! I heard him! I should have done something!" he grabs me and weeps softly, I hold him close, but am gentle.

"Dom, you were drugged, you were incapacitated. You know what I'm getting you off the case until you recover!" I say strongly and wave Callen over. "Tell Hetty I want Dom off the case until he's better," I tell him and he nods, putting a hand on Doms shoulder.

"You'll be fine, you survived it last time you can do it again," and then he's headed up the stairs.

* * *

**CALLENS POV**

"Hetty, Kensi and I want Dom off the case," I say firmly and she puts on her thinking face, then takes it off.

"I'm afraid I can't recall placing Dom on duty in the first place," she frowns and I do too. Maybe the leak is deeper than we thought. I instantly run down who could have leaked the information. "I'm also skeptical of continuing this operation, given that _three _agents have arrived in the hospital in the first week. We need to let the mole think we're off the case, then strike."

"Vivian is out, she was in surgery when Dom was ordered on duty. Ziva would have no information, let alone the authority over him. Sam," I start and Hetty shakes her head, "Kate could've, we know McGee _definitely_ couldn't have," but a small part of me wonders, _what if it's a ruse? _They never caused serious injury to him, only blunt force trauma, nothing sharp on both of them, well except for Dom getting stabbed. "Well," I say and Hetty shakes her head,

"Why? He could get the information himself without getting abducted," Hetty explains and I nod.

"But maybe that's why he did it, to throw off suspicion."

"Seeing as he would've had no idea how to call Dom while in ICU, I'm taking him off the list. That leaves Nell, Eric, Nate, Gibbs and Tony," their names hang in the air, as if waiting to be taken back in and unspoken.

"Gibbs wouldn't-" I start but Hetty shakes her head.

"Gibbs could, the stories I've heard about him and McGee," she shivers. "I want Gibbs on the next flight to D.C. and then permanently locked out of our servers," Hetty orders and I nod.

"DiNozzo?"

"He'll either follow or join us," she says and I nod, then turn to leave.

* * *

**KATES POV**

"Gibbs!" I hear a voice roar from the top of the stairs, and am surprised to see Callen yelling Gibbs' name, they seemed to like each other, well, as much as you can like Gibbs.

"What?" Gibbs barks back and Callen yanks his phone out of his hand, then begins scrolling through it, Hanna watches, so does Tony.

"You son of a bitch!" Callen bellows and swings one in Gibbs face, knocking him on the ground, Gibbs kicks at his feet but Callen sidesteps, "what the hell were you thinking calling my man back in after being tortured!" Callen demands and Gibbs grunts something along the lines of 'weak' and 'not bad'. Callen looks ready to, well, kill. "If you ever, _ever__, _contact my men again I will kill you! Hetty has you booked for a D.C. flight that leaves at one, don't be late. And I'm taking your ass to the airport personally-" he cuts off and then grabs his forearm and hauls him out towards the elevator.

I look around the bullpen, Vivian is at the hospital and I assume David is with her. Kensi probably took Dom home and Tony is nowhere to be found, I realize it's just Hanna and I.

"Is Callen always like that?" I ask and Hanna cuts me a look. I turn back to work and begin digging through Sullivans bank statements.

* * *

**ZIVAS POV**

I've been to so many hospitals they all seem the same, off-white and peeling wall paint, glazed tile floors, and ceiling tiles with those fluorescent lights. I waited in the waiting room when Tali's body was retrieved, at Imas bedside as she succumbed to her injuries, the hallway again when Eli had been injured in that bombing with the FBI and NCIS Director at the NCIS safehouse. Countless of times outside a morgue to retrieve a Mossad officers body, if they ever found it.

"She's stable, but still in a coma," a doctor reported to her as soon as he left Vivians room, instantly Ziva shot up and pushed past the doctor and into the room, she thought that after five years at Mossad she could expect and prepare for anything, especially bad ops, but this hit her all the same as all the others.

Vivian was unnaturally pale and her face was sunken, she looked like she'd lost ten pounds and shrunk two inches, her hair looked matted down and Ziva frowned, wouldn't the hospital wash her hair? She looked around for the doctor but he had left, probably for another patient, she sat and put her elbows on her knees, she put her head in her hands and exhaled. How did she let this happen? She'd been quiet as a mouse into the clearing, raising her gun, the grey haired man had been on her right, loud as a speaker in a nightclub. Did he not know anything about ending hostage situations? She had scoped out the place and told him what was going on, then he barged into the clearing, she should've snuck around and stopped the woman from behind but goddamn DiNozzo, why would he tackle a woman about to shoot a hostage? If the gun went off, goodness! Ziva didn't understand why Vivian being killed upset her so much more than McGee being abducted and tortured, maybe it was because she knew the woman and she was the only one who tried to make her feel at home in America. Knowing that Vivian would be alive had to be enough for her to go to work and continue her job. She rose to leave and lingered in the doorway, NCIS wouldn't be called for a few more hours so and she could stay, _no,_ she thought, _you must get Ari out of America_. With that thought she rolled out the door.

* * *

**KENSIS POV**

Dom slept the whole way to my apartment, I gathered his things and let him stay in mine since his was still a crime scene, and I doubted he could sleep there after that incident, I'd be surprised if he didn't move. I woke him up and let him sleep in my bed, God knows what I hadn't managed to clean off that couch. I got back into my car and hovered around the speed limit, I'd crashed my three previous cars and my auto insurance was high as hell.

I walked over to my desk and saw Agent Todd at my desk. She's looking at something on my computer screen, squinting at it, so I hurry over, since word got out the DoD checks browser histories I'd caught quite a number of agents watching porno on my computer, that something caused an awkward conversation for out monthly examinations. I cleared my throat and he snapped her head up.

"Thank God, the bank statements are yours!" she exclaims, hopping up from the seat as if it were hot coals, then running down the hall to the ladies room.

"MCRT's are so weird," I mutter and Hanna smiles next to me.

"Where did you come from?" I ask.

"A group of organic compounds," he replies and I roll my eyes.

"You're such a smartass."

"You're such a dumbass," he mimics in a high, off-key voice. I sit down at my desk, look at my computer screen and am assaulted by financial jibberish.

"God can't we get Nell and Eric to do this?" I groan, I've always hated math.

"Nah, someone in Rota-" he's cut off as the elevator pings open and a group of ten yelling people steps out of the elevator.

"Shut up!"

"Swine!" a Russian voice yells.

"Svin'i!" another one yells. It's about five voices in pidgin English or Russian and six or seven in American English. I hear a gunshot and everyone, and I mean _everyone_, draws their weapon and aims it towards the source of the noise. One of the Russians grabbed a rookies gun behind his back and fired it into the ground. An American tackles him and grabs the gun, they struggle, apparently the Russian can get out of handcuffs, and hits him with it. NCIS and the other men descend on them, when they start taking out badges, federal badges.

"FBI! We heard y'all're lookin fur sum Russians!" a Texan sounding man yells and I look at Hanna, the same number of abductors on the mountain. "They were on uh mountain, a Sierra Nevada," this man knows nothing about Californian geography, I walk over and look at him.

"And who are you?" I ask,

"I'm Agent Stephenson, Vivian Blackadders pardner," he says gruffly and I flinch, he clearly didn't hear about her, he eyes me but continues, "Blackadder called me on her satellite phone from thu mountain about needin a search team, she said she wus headed fur sum clearin," he says and I hear Hanna take in a breath behind me, she was shot near a clearing. "Anyway, where's yur interrogation room?" he asks impatiently and one of the Russian men spits on him, Stephenson turns around slowly and says something menacingly in Russian, then turns back around. I call over an couple of agents who walk them over to the interrogation rooms.**  
**

The Russians walk off and I turn to face Agent Stephenson.

"Agent Stephenson, we need to talk," I lead him into a conference room and close the door behind us tightly, "Agent Blackadder was shot three times in the chest yesterday afternoon," I say hesitantly, I think it took a moment to sink in, because next thing I know he's busting for the door, "Stephenson wait!" I bark and pull him back.

"Hospital-hospital" he pants, then takes in a deep breath, "Oh God, is she dead?" he starts praying in Spanish and I slap him, he focuses.

"She's at Cedars-Sinai, and she's alive," I answer and he breaths. I hold him for a second before letting him go. "You want me to drive you?" I ask and he nods, now silent. I can't stand the fact of staring at any banking records. I see Officer David step off the elevator and she nods at me.

"Vivian is stable," she says slowly, as if trying to remember the right words.

"You went to see her?" Stephenson asks and she nods.

"You are on the case? I do not recognize you," she says, suspicious.

"How's Blackadder?" he asks and Ziva blinks.

"Stable, in a coma," she says and Stephenson nods.

"Thanks," he says and walks numbly to the elevator. I nod my thanks at her and she tells me the exact same thing she told Stephenson.

"Good luck," she says and heads to my computer, why is everyone so obsessed with it?

* * *

**ABBYS POV**

The lab rat stepped off the elevator and into the airport lobby. As soon as the lab rat smelled sea salt she gagged, she needed no memories of the Phantom to come back. She was walking calmly to the transit tunnel when she saw Callen escorting Gibbs. She ran over and hugged the latter.

"Oh Gibbs, Gibbs, Gibbs did you finally get Morrow to let me go home?" she screamed enthusiastically. Callen cleared his throat and pulled her away, "Gibbs whats going on?" she asked, why would her silver haired fox let Callen pull her away from him.

"I'm being sent back to D.C. Abby-"

"NO JETHRO! NO!" Abby screamed in the middle of the airport, causing already irate jetlagged passengers to glare at her, she didn't flinch, she knew Gibbs would protect her, and where was Tony?

"Yes Abby, Hetty is being-" Gibbs was once again cut off by Callen clearing his throat.

"No you can't send Jethro back! He is the _best _crime solver in the world!" Abby protested, but Callen just crossed his hands across his chest.

"_Jethro_," Callen said sarcastically, "has fifteen minutes to make his flight, if he doesn't, he and whoever caused the delay _will _be fired," he looked Abby dead in the eyes and she frowned.

"Tony is going to hear about this," she said and trotted off, but a fury was growing inside her, Morrow was jealous of Gibbs because he beat Morrows closure rate, Abby now vowed to give the best evidence to Jethro, and hide any if need be, like how she 'lost' the evidence incriminating him of Kelly and Sharons murder.

* * *

**GIBBS POV**

After his encounter with Abby, Jethro was ready to bite off Morrows head, how dare he send Abby to Los Angeles where she had been kidnapped and nearly decapitated! Gibbs stormed onto the MCRT floor and saw Morrow standing by the entryway to his office, popping an Altoid into his mouth without a care in the world. Gibbs stormed up the stairs and when Morrow saw him he gestured for him to join him in his office.

"What the _hell _is Abby doing in Los Angeles?" Gibbs roared, erupting like Mt. St. Helens in 1980. Gibbs heard Morrow exhale calmly and pull a file out of his desk.

"Gibbs I've been looking at your personnel-"

"You said we were being reviewed in LA-"

"If you would let me _finish _and not misinterpreting information as usual, you would hear me say 'file' not 'review', you've got no respect for authority. When Agent Todd was discovered as an American by those Colombian drug dealers and you had Tony and McGee _intentionally _place themselves in a deadly situation, in which McGee nearly did die, we had a rescue team ready to deploy within six hours but couldn't make it until twenty-four because the Colombians banned all American aircraft and we had to use a different plane! We also had a confidential informant who was literally about to give us all the evidence we could dream of, he never got the chance because when Tony was giving that beautiful monologue to his captors about your team, he described the informant well enough they _killed _him Gibbs! I'm giving DiNozzo this review as his last chance or he's done! I've also noticed that despite the changes I've made, sending McGee to Cyber Crimes, DiNozzo as an Agent Afloat, and Todd back to the Secret Service, hopefully to give you time to think about when you almost got a terrorist cells _entire _set of evidence because DiNozzo searched a place without a warrant. Did you think about it? No. You caused all kinds of trouble to get DiNozzos ship to dock, bragged to your colleagues about how good at fieldwork McGee was, that Todd was terrible at identifying counterfeits. No one believed those, why? Because you only wanted them fired or transferred so they would request you as their leader and you would get your old team back. I gave you a _lawyer _so your evigdence would stop being thrown out in court, and what did you do? You just kept her and Keating tied to their desks while you and Langer were out bending rules like old pals! Thank God the FBI needed him for an op or he would have a dead career!" Morrow yelled and Leroy Jethro Gibbs actually flinched.

"I've noticed a rigid, impossibly demanding, erroneous, misguided leadership in you, you never changed. I have decided to place you on a six week suspension, while the DoD has an investigation, if you do not come back and become different I will have no choice but to pension you off, or you can quit. Choose by tomorrow morning, leave the building in ten minutes. I don't want to hear from you until you've made your decision, and you must call me. Now leave," Morrow said gesturing to the door.

Unspeakable, white hot fury burned through Gibbs' veins and arteries, never had he been insulted so nonchalantly before!

"How dare you! I will have Shepard-"

"Shepard resumed her role as an NCIS agent, she won't have influence over this decision, ever. Now really do leave or I will call security," Morrow said casually, stuffing the file into his briefcase. "Three, two-"

"I'm leaving!" Gibbs snapped, turned on his heel and left. He decided he would call Morrow at the most inopportune time, then he was flying to Los Angeles to guide Tony and Kate in the investigation and making sure McGees ass was in a chair the whole time.

* * *

**ZIVAS POV**

I watch as the NCIS agents lead the Russians into different interrogation rooms and leave. I saw the whole elevator spectacle and I slip into the shadows as Kensi and Stephenson walk down here, hours after he visited Vivian.

"Did you talk to any of them?" I hear Kensi ask.

"Nah, we didn't want to compromise them, you know most about your case, couldn't jeopardize it," he gulps and I remain silent.

"Okay, can one of your agents take you to a hotel or something?"

"Yeah, Walker should be hear by now," I hear him shuffle away, when the door closes I step out of the shadows.

"May I interview one?" I ask and Kensi jumps.

"Jesus how long have you been there?" she asks, clutching her chest.

"Long enough," I say cryptically. She sighs and looks in on them through Observation.

"Take the young woman," she says and I walk to her room and close the door.

"Kak tebya zovut?" I ask and she says nothing. "What is your name?" I repeat and she stays silent. So I pull up a chair across from her, sit, and stare. We stay this way for a long time.

* * *

"What American government want?" she finally asked with a heavy Russian accent and Ziva smirked.

"I would not be too worried about the American government," she replied.

"Who you work for?" she asked, shifting in her seat.

"Israeli Mossad, I have orders to bring you back to Israel for trial, but of course for that I need a name, I hate doing it back in Israel where the rooms are unmonitored, when people have accents it's so hard to understand, which is why I prefer to do it here," Ziva lied and the Russian womans face blanched.

"My name Natalia Irinushka Vladislava," she said quickly.

"Now we're getting somewhere, now tell me why did you kidnap-" Ziva was cut off by Natalia.

"No we do nothing!" she yells that everytime Ziva asks a question until she is interrupted by Kensi slamming the door open, looking extremely pissed.

"Did you deal yet?" she asks sharply and Ziva shakes her head, "Good, we can get them for double murder of federal employees, send them off," Kensi finishes coldly and Natalias color drained from her face.

"What you mean the men die?"

"I'm saying, you screwed up," Kensi said icily before slamming the door.

"No we no kill! They made us promise no kill until okay! I want to see my sister!" Natalia yelled and Ziva looked at Kensi.

"There was only one female on the mountain," Kensi reminded her and Natalia shook her head.

"I know! I in town buying food when FBI arrest! Check!" she pleads, "I want to see sister!" Ziva gets up and walks with Kensi out of the room.

"I shot her sister and she won't say anything more without her," Ziva explained and Kensi frowned.

"Lie to her," Kensi ordered and Ziva walked back in.

"Your sister is currently with the FBI and we have no jurisdiction, you must tell us on your own," Ziva lied, technically she was in FBI custody, they were conducting the autopsy.

"Alright, Arab man calls us, says he killed someone else, cannot resurface," she stops for reassurance and Ziva nods, "wants us to take out a team of investigators, work for NCIS," she stops for a breath and coughs, clutching her chest. "Then we sent picture of pale computer man, he say grab him, find out what he knows. We read file and he have no experience, easy to break. My sister signed me up for this, then we grab him, I know nothing more, I sent to Fresno," she looks at Ziva pleadingly and Ziva inhales.

"Why would you join them?"

"My father is ex-KGB, he sometime do odd job," she admits awkwardly before rising to leave. "You find Anastashya right?" she asks and Ziva freezes, then turns to face her.

"Your sister was killed in a shootout with police yesterday," Ziva says coolly and she sees the girl start to sob, she then walks out, leaving the girl alone to grieve.

_Only one man could've called in ex-KGB like that, _Ziva thought, she didn't like where it was going, _Ari always spoke with an Arab accent, but that doesn't mean he made the call, _Ziva sighed and walked over to the next mans interrogation room, maybe he had the identity of the man who ordered the hit.

* * *

**ABBYS POV**

Abby pouted in the backseat of the black Escalade, how much more obvious could you get about being a government car? The lab rat had made dangerous enemies in Los Angeles, almost as dangerous as those of OSP, she needed something more discreet. She saw the rundown building they pulled up to and groaned, would she really have to stay here? He pulled into some sort of a courtyard and hopped out. Abby followed suit and saw him standing in front of some wooden door, she walked over and the doors opened. She walked in and was amazed at how beautiful the building was, Spanish styled and young looking agents walking around with gizmos and files.

She looked down at the bullpens and saw Kate.

"Kate!" she squealed and Kate ran over to her.

"God Abby you're a day late!" Kate exclaimed and Abby smiled, then pulled away bubbling over.

"So, uh, who are we, you know, working with? And who does Gibbs trust?" she asked the last part softer, leaning in.

"Me," an unfamiliar voice whispered and Abby snapped around to see a thin, dark-haired, brown eyed woman.

"I'm Agent Blye and I'm working with the MCRT, well half of it anyway," she smiled, shook her hand and walked towards the bullpen. She saw a heavy, muscular black man, Callen and no one else around, she frowned, where was McGee? Why wasn't he dutifully researching suspects? And where was Tony? _Probably in the field, he's our best agent, _Abby smiled like a little girl at the thought of him before Callen clapped his hands in front of her face, she jumped back.

"What the hell was that for?" she asked venomously, but then put on her 'sweet little Goth girl' mask.

"You were giving Hanna the goo-goo eyes, he's married you see?" Callen replied and Abby smiled and asked.

"To you?" Callen scoffed and Hanna rolled his eyes.

"No way!" Hanna replied.

"Boys! Welcome Miss. Sciuto like _mature _men!" Kensi reminded them and they rose to shake her hand.

"Callen."

"Agent Hanna," the muscular one said.

"Where's McGee?" Abby asked and they all exchanged glances.

"So the people we're investigating sent a hit crew out on us, Dom was tortured, Vi-" she's cut off by a dark-haired, elfish woman yelling her name.

"Kensi! How is Vivian? Did she really die?" her eyes are full of concern and Kensi shakes her head.

"Russians are too hard to crack," she replied and the other womans eyes are replaced with relief.

"You had me going there for a second-"

"Do I know you?" the lab rat interrupted and the woman finally looked at her, then extended her hand.

"I'm Officer David from Israeli Mossad-" she dropped her sentence as Abby snapped her hand away, as if she had anthrax on it.

"Why are you here?" Abby asked frostily and she saw Davids eyes trying to figure out what was going on.

"Track people down," she said evasively, then figured out Abbys hostility.

"Stay the hell away from Kate, you got that Officer _David_? Or I will have Gibbs crush your career!" Abby said menacingly and Davids eyebrows furrowed, then the other three started laughing out loud.

"Jesus Christ,"

"She's not even an American citizen!"

"Gibbs can't reach Israeli Mossad!" Abby heard them all laugh, appalled. This woman believed in Ari, the man who tried to kill Kate! She felt her cheeks go red and stormed out, Kate at her heels.

"Kate, we need to one-up them!" Abby hissed and Kate nodded.

"What do you have in mind?"

* * *

**Not my best, please leave reviews!**


	12. TS Eliot Lied The World Ends With A Bang

**CALLENS POV**

* * *

Agent Callen stretched out in the back seat of his car, nestling his travel pillow in the crook of his elbow. He had been living this way his whole life, he never liked the idea of permanence. He had originally planned to stay with Dom but when he saw Kensi drive him to her house he knew that was out of the question. He propped his feet up on the door handle and sighed, ready to sleep. He closed his eyes and then _**BANG BANG**** BANG!**_Callen yelled out in pain as a bullet pierced his thigh. He grabbed his phone and rolled onto the floorboard, calling Sam.

"Sam I'm at the corner of West Arbor and South Eucalyptus, somebodies shooting up my car!" he hissed into the phone before snapping it shut, not waiting for a response. Callen grabbed his pistol and shot at anything that moved. He could feel the machine guns bullets slowly moving downward in angle.

* * *

**HETTYS POV**

"Hetty someones shooting up Callens car at the corner of West Arbor and South Eucalyptus, get Kensi and someone from MCRT there immediately for backup, I heard machine guns," Hanna said into his phone urgently.

"On it," she hung up and called Kensi and Officer David. She gave them the location and had little doubt that Ziva would be there first.

* * *

**KENSIS POV**

"Callens being shot at at West Arbor and South Eucalyptus-" Kensi snapped her phone shut and sprinted out the door, calling out to Dom where she'd be.

* * *

Two police cars were tailing her, sirens blaring at her speed and recklessness, but Kensi drove on. She soon reached the intersection and swung her car up to Callens, whipping out her service pistol and throwing the door open, she saw Ziva chasing someone down the street, yelling at them to stop. Kensi walked up the car and yelled, "Callen!" but no response.

"Drop your weapon!" one of the LAPD yelled into his megaphone and Kensi ignored him, she steadily moved around the car to clear it and then she saw him on the floor board.

"Callen!" she screamed as Hanna pulled up, he ran over, pistol out and threw open the door. Callens hand and service pistol flopped out of the car.

"G!" Hanna yelled and shoved past Kensi, who was crying, he pushed his finger up against his neck to feel for a pulse, he slowly pulled away, in shock.

"No! No! He has a pulse! He has too!" Kensi sobbed, this was all too much, first Dom, then _this_!

"Kensi, Kensi," Hanna said soothingly and Kensi sobbed, then jumped as she heard the gunshot down the street and then a yell. Hanna ran after the noise, probably caused by David. Kensi fell to her knees and sobbed, one of the LAPD coming up to her.

"Ma'am I'm going to have to ask you to step away, this is a crime scene," the man said softly and she nodded, he helped her to her feet and guided her to one of the squad cars. "I'm going to have to ask you what made you run here with a pistol," he asked and she nodded.

"Callen is, _was_, a coworker, I got a call from our boss saying he was in danger-" Kensi broke off, her sobs filling her throat.

"Hey, hey it's-" he looked up as Hanna yelled something to them, he was dragging a man behind him with David. Then she realized something was wrong.

"You're in plainclothes, you're not a real cop, who are you?" Kensi asked accusatorially, the man looked taken aback then nodded.

"I'm a detective, Detective Deeks, here's my shield, but I want it back," he said as he reached into his waistband and retrieved it. Kensi examined it and nodded.

"You pretty much saw everything else that I saw then," she said lamely, she was barely even a witness in her own friends murder, she sighed and then looked over to see who Hanna and David had.

"Poveliteley!" the man yelled and David popped him on the head.

"Izbav' menya ot svoikh melochnykh obid , ili ya sdelayu tebe to, chto ya sdelal, chtoby Anastasiya!" David barks in Russian and Hanna raises his eyebrows, impressed. I hear a siren and turn to see the coroners van, I gulp and turn to face David and Hanna.

"Who is this clown?" I ask and Hanna shrugs.

"Ask David, she tracked him down," he says icily and I frown, he doesn't normally act this way, hewould _never _act this way, especially since Callen is, dead. "I'm sorry Kensi," he says and hugs me, I cry into his shoulder and David shuffles around us, uniforms are running everywhere, CSUs and MEs, then I start to see NCIS jackets overtake the scene, David hauls the Russian into a metal van and they drive off. The CSUs pack up, their evidence bags barely filled. Then I see them remove Callens body and I start to bawl.

"Kensi, do you want to escort the b- Callen?" Hanna asks and I nod through my tears. He helps me into the van and I feel every single bump in the road.

* * *

**ZIVAS POV**

I sat in the same room as the Russian until Nate pulled me out, he said Hetty wanted all of us in her office. I walk in and notice I am the last one, I quickly line up and see that the D.C. agents look like they were just roused out of bed while the L.A. team looks like they've been through hell and back, which they have.

"The cases involving Petty Officer Jasna Stankic, and Agent G Callens murder have been dismissed, especially that of Sullivan Ind." Hetty says heavily and Kensi yells.

"No! No! They can't get away with this!" she starts sobbing again and Hanna holds her, Hetty looks on with sadness.

"Unfortunately for now they must, we must face the facts. We're down half our squad, we have no FBI contacts and they have all the information, we lost one NCIS agent to suspension and one to torture and abduction recovery," I notice the D.C. teams heads look up at the mention of suspension. "We also lost one of our own to recovery and one to murder. With the taskforce disbanded OSP will return to normal duties after a forty-eight hour grieving period, do not do anything foolish in those hours. The MCRT will be sent to D.C. and have words with Director Morrow as of how to proceed. McGee will stay here in Los Angeles under our supervision until he has recovered. The FBI agent will hopefully return to her normal duties once she has recovered, and Ziva," she says, turning to look at me, "you will be sent back to Israel, seeing as there is no trace of Ari Haswari," Agent Todd shivers at his name and I nod.

"The flight to Tel Aviv leaves tomorrow at ten am, the flight to D.C. leaves at noon, here are your tickets," she hands them out and then turns to leave. "The taskforce may be reinstated once we recover and regroup, be subtle, do not alert them," those are her last warnings. I am used to this sort of thing, when I arrive at my hotel room I gather the few things I brought and place them by the door, tomorrow morning, I will be gone.

* * *

**CAITLINS POV**

Tony sits next to me in silence, then I hear him snore, I sigh. I wish we had more time, that people could recover quicker, but this is our life. Maybe one day the taskforce will join together and catch Jasnas killer, if Morrow permitted it. It was times like these when Kate missed Director Shepard, she would always let Team Gibbs go and get the information they needed, she would protect them from harsh consequences.

Kate jumped as her phone rang, she pulled it out of her pocket and checked the caller ID, Gibbs. She flipped the phone open and answered.

"Special Agent Caitlin Todd-" was all she could get out.

"What went down in Los Angeles? Abby is overcome with glee she's coming back but she won't tell me why!" Gibbs roared into the phone and Kate took a breath in.

"Callen was killed tonight Gibbs, we've lost half our taskforce-"

"_I _should have been in charge! Not Blackadder!" Gibbs seethed, but Kate kept going,

"Director Morrow disbanded NCIS agents from the taskforce and called us into a meeting tomorrow night," Kate took in a breath, how would Gibbs react?

"Alright, if he makes us move on we _all _go to Los Angeles, I'm sick of waiting for permission from Director Morrow to take a piss, got it Kate?"

"Yes, sir," she replied and then she heard the dial tone.

"What did Gibbs tell you?" Tony asked as he rose from his seat.

"Go to D.C., meet Morrow," Kate said, leaving out the other bit.

"C'mon Kate, I worked with the man before you even knew NCIS existed, give me some credit!" Tony pleaded and Kate caved.

"He said, 'Go to D.C., meet Morrow,' and 'if he makes us move on we _all _go to Los Angeles,'" Kate looks up at Tony and he nods.

"Lets get some sleep," Tony says as Kate pulls into the parking lot, "we have to deal with a bureaucrat tomorrow."

* * *

**ZIVAS POV**

As Ziva sat in the El Al lounge an announcement came over the loud speaker in Hebrew and English.

"Flight 283 from Los Angeles to Tel Aviv has been postponed two and a half hours. Flight 283 from Los Angeles to Tel Aviv has been postponed two and a half hours," the announcer bleated before signing off.

_Probably received a credible threat on the flight, two and a half hours is the usual wait to throw the operation off, then catch the culprits, _Ziva David thought, she had slept for four hours the night before, after Callens assassination she had packed her bags and headed for the most public and secure place possible, the El Al flight lounge, if they could get to Callen, Ari could easily tell Sullivan Ind about his younger half-sister. Zivas heart filled with pain at the thought of her _achim _becoming a threat to America and Israel. She knew her father had played a huge part in his hatred for Israel but what about Ziva and Ima and most of all, Tali? Tali had loved everyone, why, when she saw the Hamas suicide bomber at the mall (she did not know he was one) she had approached him because he looked so forlorn. Then the footage was cut.

Ziva looked around at the other international flights, to Egypt, China, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Japan, and many others. Ziva rose and decided she could wander around the American airport, maybe bring back a souvenir for her friend Devorah. She was looking around when she saw Agent Todd and DiNozzo, she walked casually behind a bookshelf and lingered there, hoping they were too caught up in their argument to bother to look around.

"Kate you can't tell anyone!" Tony hissed and she heard Kate make a noise of disgust.

"Tony! That could totally ruin you and Abbys careers!" Kate snarled and she heard Tony lower his voice.

"Abby...once...never again!"

"My God Tony! Gibbs is kill you when he hears this! You know how he feels about Abby!" Kate cried, then stormed off to the concourse.

"Kate!" Tony yelled and only when Ziva heard his footsteps dissipate did she reveal herself. Whatever that was, Ziva would not breath a word to anyone.

* * *

**CAITLINS POV**

Kate couldn't bring herself to even look at Tony the entire flight or car ride to Headquarters. How could he have been so _stupid _to do such a thing with Abby? It may have only been once but they might never recover! As the elevator rose the few floors to the top Tony let out an exasperated sigh and stepped to flick the emergency stop switch, something Gibbs always did when he wanted to yell at them in private, only this time sirens started whirring.

Kate screamed and Tony flicked the switch again, the finished their ride and the door pinged open, only they had the whole bullpen glaring at them.

"We're getting tired of this," a female agent warned but her partner elbowed her.

"No, remember that fifteen minute chat He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named had in the elevator with Fornell? God I wish I was deaf like my sister!" he exclaimed. Morrow was storming to them and grabbed them by the cuffs of their shirts.

"Back to work!" he barked and the agents scrambled. Morrow hauled them into his office and set them down.

"What the hell was that?" Morrow growled and Kate froze, but Tony opened his mouth.

"Sir we were having a meeting-"

"Goddammit! We had the damn sirens put in so you wouldn't have them anymore! Last time Gibbs tried to 'persuade' one of the scientists against complaining about Abby another team had a case to solve and had to wait an _hour _before Gibbs reactivated the elevator!" Morrow yelled and Tony fell silent. Morrow pushed a button and PA'd Camille.

"Camille, get Gibbs in here," Morrow said wearily and Camille replied back. Three minutes later Gibbs walked through the door.

"Yes, Morrow?" Gibbs drawled on the Directors name and Morrow pinched his nose.

"Get comfortable," was all he said. Kate sat, she was a woman after all, she shouldn't have to bother with standing for long periods of time, and Tony sat because he was a Special Agent he deserved every perk. Gibbs stood so he would intimidate Morrow into letting them back into L.A.

"You're allowed to go on base and question people about Jasna but that's as far as it goes, no Sullivan Industries, no Los Angeles, period," Morrow looked up at them and Gibbs retorted.

"Sir my people have the means and skill to-"

"To what? Last I checked McGee getting abducted is entirely your fault! We're all very fortunate he learn about fieldwork from behind a desk! I am still trying to find the reason why he missed that seminar on Abductions and Hostages!" Morrow roared, Gibbs had only let McGee on the field to analyze crime scenes.

"He had to, _retrieve_, important documents," Gibbs chose his words carefully, he had seen the reprimand McGee had gotten from the CIA about hacking their files, he didn't want his reputation as an agent destroyed with McGees.

"I hope they were important," Morrow warned.

"They eliminated the victims friend-"

"I read up on that case! He was at a dinner with SECNAV Clayton Jarvis!" Morrow seethed.

"You'll forgive me for not trusting him then-"

"That's it Gibbs! If you don't trust me, don't work for me!" Morrow bellowed and Gibbs took a step _back_. Kate and Tony gulped.

"Todd, DiNozzo, you will be filing cold cases until McGee recovers and Gibbs is off his three month suspension. Go. Now," he growled and they all shot up and left.

* * *

**ZIVAS POV**

Ziva was barely in the building for five minutes when Amit Hadar came up to her.

"I have paperwork-" Ziva began but he waved her away dismissively.

"You're being sent to Iraq in one week, the op should only take about two months, simple elimination," Hadar kept on as he walked, gesturing for her to follow, "then you will be on courier duty until the taskforce is put together, if it's anything like ours, then you'll be on it immediately upon your return, prepare well," he said as he dumped files upon piles into her hands. Ziva groaned, _really Abba? _she thought, looking upstairs where he was, literally.


	13. What Does The Director Say?

**I really, really want to apologize for such a late update! I was out of town all weekend so had no time to write! Also my computer has been taken away, much to my annoyance, so I hop to make up for the delays with a (hopefully) good chapter!**

* * *

**TEXAS FBI FIELD OFFICE**

**VIVIANS POV**

"Blackadder, this is the end of the road," Agent Stephenson said behind me and I sighed, I really loved this place. Four months ago I had been called out to help takedown Sullivan Industries, a company that masks its illicit dealings with those that are legitimate. After Ari Haswari was pinged on the radar, all counter-terrorism agents have terrorists they have to track, I was sent to Los Angeles to help NCIS catch them. As I was clearing a mountaintop looking for an abducted NCIS agent I was shot in the chest three times and moved to Ben Taub for recovery. After two months of rehab I was sent back to the Arlington office to help them clear out. All CTOs were being shutdown, too many of us had served in the military and could spot terrorists within fifty miles, after a few laws went into act the crime and terrorism threat rates plummeted. Therefore only a few FBI offices were kept open, El Paso (narcotics was really the only reason it stayed open, but of course Quantico would _never _admit it) Dallas, San Antonio, Houston and Austin (for it's proximity to the state capital). So Corpus, Arlington, and Plano were all shut down, the ones that weren't lost a good chunk of their payroll.

"Yeah, shame to see all them leave," I murmur, allot of young-bucks hoping to get a good job after getting out of the military were now hacking it as local Law Enforcement (I heard one of my probies made it as a SWAT) or moved out of state. It's a shame really, I liked allot of the guys in Arlington.

"Agent Blackadder!" the head of operations, Tina Alvarez barked and I jumped. I don't know how a thirty three year old Hispanic woman scares me when she yells, but she does. "Director Mueller wants to talk to you in MTAC!" I frown, I know MTAC is still running, given the encrypted transmissions and all, but why not wait until I get back to Houston? Maybe he doesn't want to wait the four hour drive.

"Now!" she snapped and I hurried down the steps.

* * *

**NCIS MCRT HEADQUARTERS**

**KATES POV**

I watched McProbie carefully, ever since we got him out of the Bethesda hospital he'd barely spoken to us. Tony would try and get a rise out of him but he was a statue. Then I would see Gibbs bark at him but he would never flinch. Odd. I followed him home sometimes and staked out his house to see what was up but no one told me. As Gibbs walks in and shoot McGee a glare, his trademark one to be precise, but McGee doesn't look up from his computer. I wonder if he's messaging one of those girls that came in here those many months ago. I haven't heard of them, but then again, given McGees oath of silence I'm not surprised. Then I see the dark haired girl, the one who came in here all those many months ago, walk to the edge of the bullpen, the edge by the bathrooms. She clears her throat and McGee snaps his head around. They exchange some sort of signal and McGee pulls some kind of laptop I've never seen before out of his desk drawer and stands to follow her but Gibbs blocks his path.

"And just where does _Probie _think he's going without _my _permission?" Gibbs seethes, the girl steps forward but McGee speaks faster.

"Ask the Director," McGee walks past him and follows the girl downstairs. CyberCrimes. I knew the Probie was really to soft to handle fieldwork. He's probably getting switched right now, but why stand up to Gibbs. I can see Gibbs face turn beet red as he stalks up to the stairs, as Morrow steps onto the stairway, then stops.

"Ah Gibbs the man of the hour! I need you and your team to-" he says jovially, but Gibbs cuts him off.

"Where the hell does _Probie _think he's going on _your _orders? He's _my _agent, _I _chose him," Gibbs barks, half the floor turns to see whats going on.

"I hope by Probie you mean McGee, McGee is doing things above your paygrade and HR chose him, not you Gibbs. Now I want your team in my office in ten minutes, I have already briefed McGee, do _not _disturb him," Morrow warns sternly, and turns to his office, Gibbs chases after him, yelling and I follow closely on Tonys heels. We will defend Gibbs at all costs.

* * *

**NCIS OSP**

**KENSIS POV**

"Hey Callen I-" Dom starts, subconsciously I suppose, before cutting himself off. Sam takes in a deep breath and I press unnecessarily hard down on the keyboard, a stream of _a'_s appearing steadily. I look to my right and check the chair. We don't call it the stand in agents chair yet. HR still hasn't found a 'suitable replacement' for Callen so Mike Renko has been filling in unofficially, albeit he's been gone in Juddah, Saudi Arabia for the past three months.

"What did you bring me?" Sam asks and Dom takes in a little breath of relief.

"The reports on terrorists camp hotbeds, they all have one person in common-" Dom is cutoff by Erics signature whistle.

"Everybody in the Ops Center, _now_," he barks with unheard of firmness. We all shoot up and jog up the stairs. Hetty stands there next to Granger.

"Granger," Sam says frostily, but I see Granger hang up his phone and turn to us.

"Alright class listen up, your investigation of Sullivan Industries is underway again. Only a few rules. One, no one goes anywhere without back up, two, you do not discuss this case with _anyone, _no matter how trustworthy you deem them," he looks pointedly at Sam, then back at the group. "Three, you pick a partner for the duration of the investigation," then he walks out and leaves, quite anticlimactically I might add. Hetty sighs and looks back at us.

"I know after what happened to Callen you are all practically lining up to make their coffin but remember this, do everything by the book and cool headedly, we can't risk _anything _incriminating being thrown out in court," she lets the silence go on for a few seconds before speaking, "Sam I want you at the airport to pick up the MCRT at 1000 tomorrow, I trust you to keep a cool head. Kensi I want you to pick up the FBI agents at 1400-"

"Wait agent_s?_" I interject.

"Silence!" Hetty barks, then continues, "Dominic, I want you to pick up the Mossad officer when her flight arrives, I still have some things to sort out with Jerusalem, so be ready at any moment, now go an prepare."

"Yes ma'am," Dom replies, we let ourselves out and we all drive home, the same thing on mind, we're all going to bring Sullivan down.


	14. JTF Sierra India

**For those of you who don't get it, it's Joint Taskforce Sullivan Industries, I'm so clever! XD PLEASE REVIEW! And what is a LEO? Some military teasing in here.**

* * *

**CAITLIN TODDS POV**

**LOS ANGELES AIRPORT**

**1000 HOURS**

Well the airplane flight was relatively uneventful. Tony slept with the last pillow on the flight, McGee played more Minecraft, playing with some red powder, and there was no one play Skrillex three rows back, a bonus. Ever since we had gotten back from Los Angeles we had been poured over Jasna Stankics file, her Navy record, her schooling, what we could find of her in Serbia. It was such a tedious job, especially with McGee disappearing literally every other day for a secret project in Cyber Crimes. Maybe he was just sleeping with that girl, or the other one.

We land and I look around for our escort, Agent Sam Hanna, while the Director or McGee wasn't looking, I ran a personnel review on our fellow JTF members and found out he was a former Navy SEAL, serving in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Afghanistan and Iraq. He looks us all over, Tony looking like a zombie and McGee fully aware, then me, a little sloppily dressed.

"Follow me to your hotel," he saws briefly, before walking away. McGee is right behind him, I stop to pick up my bag, and I doubt Tony knows whats going on, until he opens his mouth.

"Is it the old one? I really hope it isn't!" Tony calls after Hanna, but he keeps walking.

* * *

The hotel is nicer, it's a La Quinta and a very nice one at that. Maybe the roach motel went out of business for a health violation.

"Get to OSP by eight thirty tomorrow," Hanna says and walks out the door, leaving three room keys on the kitchenette counter. I start to examine to room and sigh. Two queen sized beds with a sleeper sofa. I jump onto the one next to the window and open my bag. Tony chooses the by the bathroom, leaving McGee with the sleeper sofa.

"Hey! One of y'all has to take the couch! I had it last time!" McGee protests, but I'm already pulling out my binoculars to look at Santa Monica pier, you can see it over a few rooftops, I try zooming in on a Ferris wheel. Soon it's swatted out of my hands and I see a slightly annoyed McGee.

"Everytime we stay in a hotel I get stuck on the couch with aches in my bag because we can't afford anything nice, and when we do, I get the sleeper sofa! It's your turn Kate!" McGee says angrily and I look at Tony.

"Get him to move," I say indifferently, I know McGee won't do anything because his mother probably taught him to respect a woman. I hear him confront Tony, then Tonys laugh.

"Haha no way McProbie. My back is very sensitive," Tony gives himself a self-congratulatory high-five but McGee says something I never would've guessed.

"I heard that not how you pleased Mariella," my mouth falls into a grin, Tony once gave us a very, _detailed_, re-enactment of his 'night of flexibility', I got to opt out because being a female, it made me uncomfortable, Gibbs let Tony talk McGees ear off at the crime scenes and in Abbys lab a bit.

"Totally different thing," Tony starts, but McGee grabs his iPhone and starts walking away with it. "Hey give it back!" I hear them run down the hall, a thud, and then only one pair of thundering footsteps. I can't believe they're getting this childish over something as trivial as a sleeper sofa. McGee throws Tonys stuff on the couch, all five bags, then puts his stuff around him as he climbs under the covers. Tony runs back in and gives McGee a Gibbs glare.

"As your Senior Agent I order you to get out of my bed," Tony says, grinning, but not because this is funny.

"No," McGee states, and pulls out his PC laptop, then types madly on the keyboard, Tony makes a grab for it but he's swatted away. "Mess with me and I'll put a worm or virus in one of the emails I send you," McGee says strongly, Tony grins and heads over to the sofa.

"Just you wait, McGee, just you wait," Tony says, trying to sound creepy, except it's ten in the morning and his voice has been groggy the whole time.

* * *

**VIVIAN BLACKADDERS POV**

**LOS ANGELES AIRPORT**

**1400**

The NCIS agent who was supposed to get me from the airport isn't here. I can always get one from the FBI field office out here. I'd probably go to the discreet one. The way the FBI works is there's a federal building and then a this-is-definitely-not-a-fed-workplace-walk-away-n ow kind of place. The former is used for official businessy stuff, the latter for more secretive things, and it's way more secure, not that the other one isn't of course. I'm scanning the crowd for a familiar face and finally see one, the female one, Mackenzie? No, just Kensi. I hear someone barreling through the crowd and smile, _oh Stephenson, how you never cease to sound like a PFC, _I smile and look at him, dragging his rolling suitcase behind him.

"Really Stephenson? That's a total pleb _and _private move," I say only half serious, rolly ones are an issue when there's a chase. "Plus you're ruining the 'professional image of the FBI'" I quote the seminarian, whatever you call the people you give the seminars. Apparently someone, not naming any names here, had started a rubber band slingshot and stapler gun war right when we had some interns going through for a tour, look to your left for the private who started it, not that anyone in Houston minded but Quantico did.

"What's a pleb?" he asks and I look at him, surprised.

"Really? I've been calling you that for what, a month now?" I ask and he shrugs.

"Some things escape my notice," he says, acting like it's no big deal.

"Really Stephenson you should grow your hair out, you still look like a private," he subconsciously rubs his head, the buzz cut from when he was a private in the Army four years ago still there, "the deer-in-the-headlights look and the fact you cannot order for yourself from a menu adds to the overall image," I add and he looks at me.

"I can order for myself," he protests.

"No, no, stop! Last time we were at Rudys you were staring at the menu for ten minutes!" I exclaim and he shakes his head.

"And when have I ever looked like a deer in the headlights?" he questions and I make a face, kind of what you make when someone asked such an obvious question.

"After we had that on-base investigation of that Lieutenat and your old Drill Sergeant nearly yelled at you for not wearing headgear maybe?" I reply sarcastically, just as Kensi walks up and eyes Stephenson.

"What's a Seaman doing here?" she asks warily, I give Stephenson a winning look and he shakes his head.

"Former Private," I reply and he 'accidentally' hits me with his bag. "Oww that hurt!" I whine obnoxiously and he does it again. "Alright, alright, at ease Private," I say one last time.

"E-4 Mafia," he hisses and I smack him, lightly.

"I was a Corporal when I got out, I would've been part of your officer aerobics," I tease but Kensi interrupts.

"Can I drive you to your hotel room or what?" she asks a little rudely, but I don't mind, that much.

"Sure," I reply and grab my bag.

* * *

We sit in silence until I can bear it no more.

"You know, I was a Corporal when I got out-" I start.

"I was a Specialist in artillery so don't even speak, and I have a _way _cooler insignia on my ASU," Stephenson interrupts and I look at him.

"I was a Corporal and a sniper, so don't even _try _to compete, plus you got stuck at Fort. Sill, right next to Lawton, that place is super sketchy, I saw a place that probably sold meth in it," I retort.

"You were at Fort Benning where you can't even wear compression shorts," Stephenson replies.

"It was during the _summer_-"

"Oh my God you two bicker like a married couple!" Kensi snaps and Stephenson eyes me.

"I would never marry a senior officer,"

"You admit it!"

"Oh my God!" Kensi shrieks.

"He's not my type anyway," I mutter, and Stephenson punches me lightly on the arm. I decide silence is our best course of action.

* * *

**KENSIS POV**

**NCIS OSP OFFICE, LA**

"Hetty, I don't want to make a new taskforce, this is about Callen, we don't need MCRT or the FBI," I complain to Henrietta Lange, but she won't listen.

"Kensi, ever since Eric weaseled into their system, they've upped their ante, not even a prodigal man in CyberCrimes can make a dent. They all have separate home networks for their phones, a great deal of other things, they're nearly as impenetrable as the Mossad," Hetty reminds me. "We need her security clearance, she's tracked Haswari before, they take care of the terrorist and narcotics aspects of the case, let's face it Kensi, we're low man on the totem pool when it comes to federal agencies," Hetty stops walking to fully look at me.

"You're right," I admit, I mean, who's even heard of NCIS? If only someone could make a movie or a TV show or write a book about us.

"Look, the MCRT has better criminal investigative skills, albeit the FBI higher trained, they're overwhelmed at the moment, especially with relocating all those Texan agents who need a new state to call home," she shakes her head, "Kensi, I know Callens murder has been hard on you," I flinch at the word murder, "but you must accept this, FBI has many more dealings with terrorists and narcotics, this office is really undercover work with less training. You must accept it," Hetty clasps her hands on my shoulders.

"Now go, and get all the evidence you can!" she cheers me and I smile.

"Alright Hetty, but I could take them any day!" I answer spiritedly.

"Of course you can," she replies heartily.


	15. Charlie Mike

**I apologize for the terrible military slang, I found it on the Internet! Charlie Mike is what the American military uses to say "continue mission" using Charlie for the first _c _in _continue _and Mike for the first _m _in the NATO phonetic alphabet, or so the Internet says. **

* * *

**ZIVAS POV**

**JERUSALEM, ISRAEL**

I'd always loved Jerusalem, especially the Old Cities Jewish Quarter, I managed to stop for a bit of sight-seeing after being debriefed. I hear my cell phone ring and step into a nearby shop to answer it, the streets are always a mix of Hebrew, Arabic and a host of other languages.

"David, you need to fly out to Los Angeles to catch Haswari," I hear Amit Hadar tell me and I sigh.

"Hadar, they disbanded the 'taskforce' barely a few weeks in, they'll repeat it," I say, I really don't want to go, I _just _got back from a mission in Baghdad, and after that heated discussion between Agents Todd and DiNozzo about people called Gibbs and Abby, I really didn't want to return.

"Ziva, you want them to catch Haswari or you?" Hadar asks in all seriousness and I assent, I will go. "Good, the flight leaves tomorrow at seven in the morning," he then hangs up and I mutter an obscenity, causing a shopper to cast me a look, I leave and head to my Minicooper.

* * *

Whenever I leave Israel for a mission, I make a point to stop by Imas and Talis grave. It's to remind me where my home is, wherever I may go. Sure, Los Angeles is not all that different from Tel Aviv, where my apartment is, but Israel is my one home. I have to always remember that, especially when I had to hide in the Pyrenees after and operation went north (or was it south?) in Spain. I said Kaddish one last time before walking back to my Mini.

* * *

**KENSIS POV**

**LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA**

I sat on my couch and looked out the window onto the city space below. I hear Dom move around and sigh, he hasn't been able to go back to his apartment after, you know.

"I found an apartment," he says, as if reading my mind, "a new one, it won't be anywhere near the old one," he reassures me.

"Dom," I utter, rising from the sofa and turning to face him, "I don't want you back on the taskforce," there, I said it.

"Well what do you want me to do? Sit around and hack into their databases? Or get transferred to another team for the duration of the investigation? I want whoever got in my apartment to never be able to do it again!" Dom yells, I've never heard him raise his voice, not ever.

"Dom, I want you to be safe!" I yell back, all my frustration at this unsolvable mess flooding out. When someone at Sullivan does pick up a federal investigation, wherever the mole is, they'll target us again. Someone will probably die this time, after the last group to investigation either died or wound up missing this time around doesn't look as optimistic.

"Kensi," he starts, but can't finish.

"Don't just, _Kensi__, _me out of nowhere and not complete the sentence, finish it!" I scream at him, I feel so angered by the fact he doesn't see how easy a target he is, not as much work experience as us, not as much combat skill as us. When Sam tried to help him with the stapler-as-the-gun trick, he failed all the time! I _can't _see him get hurt again.

"Kensi, lower your voice, we can't broadcast it to the whole building," Dom reminds me, sounding awfully calm. I take in a few deep breaths and nod. "Look, Kensi, I know this is hard for you, but you gotta accept it, this is part of what we do-"

"Not putting ourselves at unnecessary risk!"

"No, Kensi, look, Todd was nearly killed by Haswari right? And she's on the case and unharmed-"

"Blackadder was nearly killed and had no contact with any of us or them except the MCRT, and we don't even know that for sure!" I resist, not wanting to give in.

"Alright, I'll give you some space, go to a showing or two," Dom grabs his bag and I know I have to stop him.

"Dom, come back," I whimper as the door snaps shut. I kick a book, hard, and it slams into a wall, knocking a few photo frames off the wall. God, ever since Callen was murdered in the streets, I feel like none of us are safe. If Callen, a man who's spent his whole life looking over his shoulder, could be so unsuspectingly murdered like that, how could any of us be safe? Especially Dom, who is so trusting? I let out something between a screech and a moan before kicking another book, bringing down another few frames. I go to my room and throw myself on my bed.

* * *

I must have fallen asleep because when I wake up my hair is messed up, lips are cracked and I feel like I don't know what year it is. I snap up and look around, what if I was drugged. I run into the kitchen, a bit unsteadily, and see the photoframes on the floor near some books and earlier events replay in my mind, Dom leaving, my rage at the unfairness of it all. I walk over and carefully examine the few photos I have displayed.

There's one of all of us at some Star Trek convention, it took nearly two hours to get Sam and Callen to even exit the car, Dom had dragged us all into it. I had been reluctant at first, even offering to knock Dom unconscious as we took his car to a demolition derby, but I wound up having allot of fun, even dancing with a Klingon. Then theres one of me and my father, one of the few times he was at home. I notice the glass is cracked right between our faces and a tear escapes my eye. Ever since he was murdered by one of his fellow officers I'd had to live on the street for a year or two and missed him terribly, he taught me everything I could ever need when he was home and always spent time with me. I hear the doorknob turn and quickly put the photos in their proper places as Dom walked in. His federal agent skills noticed the photos but he didn't ask.

"I can make a down payment by tomorrow afternoon," is all he says and I nod.

"Congrats," I say, he moves to set his stuff against the wall, but I'm blocking his way.

"Excuse me," he says nervously, smiling a little, we move in the same direction a few times until he finally makes the right move.

"I'm going out," I say, but no idea where. I grab my car keys and head out. I need to think on how I'm going to handle this.

* * *

**CAITLIN TODDS POV**

I can't believe it, but Tony slept on the couch! This is a monuments break through! If he doesn't whine about his back today at work I will be beyond surprised! But I still stash a few tampons inbetween the sheets just in case he tries to rob the bed by leaving work early. I swear tampons keep men away better than a pack of rabid Rottweilers, I hid all the money I earned from my summer highschool job from my psychotic brothers by putting it in my tampon box.

"Kate," Tony singsongs from the kitchenette and I turn around.

"Tony," I singsong back, a bit sarcastically though.

"What do you want to eat? The place has breakfast," he looks at the clock, 7:15AM, it must be 11:15 in DC. I grunt my approval, Tony walks out and I wonder where McGee went, his bed is neatly made. I check my phone and noticed Gibbs has been calling me since four in the morning. _Not even taking timezones into consideration, _I think begrudgingly and hit _Call Sender, _within seconds I hear Gibbs breathing on the line.

"We've arrived in Los Angeles safely, we're heading to OSP now, I have to hang up so we can't be tracked," I say, it's policy after all.

"I made sure CyberCrimes encrypted your phones, no one can track you," I smile at the thought. Of course the nerds in CyberCrimes would do anything for Gibbs.

"Alright, what do you want me to do?" I listen to him as I take the half hour bus ride to an office building about five blocks from OSP, and walked the rest of the way. I knew that Abby was being particularly difficult, she had had to stay in Los Angeles an extra week after we left to help close up the files or something. Now she had to come back, but she had to take care of some things in DC first. She's always being carted around so I voice my concerns to Gibbs.

"I know, I've convinced the _Director _to let her stay behind," Gibbs says and I congratulate him. "I'll call you back, Pachi is coming," he hangs up and just in time, as I'm at the elevator.

* * *

Walking into OSP feels, different. Like going somewhere you know you spent allot of your childhood, but no memories coming back. Poor analogy maybe but it felt, disjointed. I could feel someone else moving around and working on the Sullivan case, almost like it was Rachel and she had told me about it. After our fight of course.

"Agents Todd and DiNozzo I assume?" Agent Blye asks, I turn and see DiNozzo stumbling toward us.

"Yes, where are our desks?" I ask, looking around and she scoffs.

"Nowhere, you don't have any," she says and I turn to face DiNozzo.

"Then we have a problem," Tony says and I grin.

"You see, Agent Blye, we need to run our _own _searches, not ones on your databases, hope you don't mind," I say sweetly and Blye gives me the most weirded out look ever.

"We share the same databases," she reminds us condescendingly.

"Oh, I think McGoogle could work something out," I say laxly and the man of the hour walks in off the stairs.

"Good morning, Kate, DiNozzo, Blye," he greets us hurriedly, rushing past us.

"C'mon McGee, you afraid of a little manliness," Tony teases and I laugh. Blye gives us another look and walks over to McGee.

"Nice one Tony," I say and we high-five. I head over to someones desk, well, now it's mine, and start logging in.

* * *

I hear Tony gasp and rise from his chair, so I look to see what's going on. That FBI agent, Blackadder, and a tall, Hispanic male stands by her, I assume he's her partner.

"_She's _back? After she nearly got herself killed?" Tony asks incredulously and Blye shoots him a look.

"For your information she either averted an international incident or saved your bosses life," Blye snaps, but Tony doesn't let up.

"My boss has no idea how she got a job after Rota," Tony says venomously, Blackadder looks like she's refraining from punching him, but rolls her eyes instead.

"You're just jealous that I got a nicer job, despite the bullet holes in the office dividers," she teases and I raise my eyebrows, why would there be bullet holes in the office dividers? Blackadder looks over at me, I must look really confused because she explains.

"Some ATF team brought along their interns and _someone_," she looks pointedly at the man next to her, "left his guns unattended on his desk and some of the interns started fooling around, they reminded me of you _Anthony_," she says and he looks like he's been slapped.

"Well I didn't blow an op," he snaps back.

"Yeah, well I made up for that _plenty _of times over," she replies icily, obviously still touchy about it. Blye steps in.

"Alright lovebirds, you love each other equally," she says lightly, Blackadder takes the opportunity but Tony still looks upset. I hear someone whistle and turn to look for the sound, it's the tech guy, Eric.

"Hetty, _now," _he says, cutting us all a look of urgency, Agents Vail and Hanna have slipped in unnoticed, unconscionably I ask.

"Where's Callen?" Blye looks ready to murder me, Hanna juts out his jaw before walking past me and Vail ducks into his desk to get something before guiding Blye up the stairs. I clamp my hand over my mouth and head upstairs, about ten steps behind them.

* * *

**VIVIAN BLACKADDERS POV**

After the loving reunion with Anthony I keep as far away from him and his female partner, I'm guessing the little skinny guy is the agent that's replacing Callen after his, death. Hetty has gathered us in her office, eyeing us all closely.

"You were all brought here to investigate Sullivan Industries-" she's cut off by her phone ringing, she checks the Caller ID and so do I, it's from out of the country. She answers, nods and hangs up. "Dom, the Mossad officers plane lands here in half an hour, Terminal C," Dom nods and leaves, now we're down to eight, including Eric.

"As I was saying, there is _nothing _more important than bringing this international criminal enterprise down, that is why we've bought the best and brightest of each agency with us. Some of you bring valuable resources and field skills to the table," she looks at Stephenson and I, "some of you bring great investigative skills and know how to handle suspects in the interrogation room," I swear DiNozzos ego just swelled to three times its abnormal size. "And some of us will bring the unique ability to track terrorists and predict their movements," she lets the silence hang before filling it, "I want you all to be aware of who brings what to the table and what you do, I don't want to extolling yourself above the others, otherwise you will join your friends in DC, Houston or your very own desk," she gestures for us to leave and Dom leads the way.

* * *

"Gee, I didn't know your old NCIS pals missed you so much," Stephenson teases, but I know he's curious.

"Oh, ruining an op _really _makes people jealous that you left them," I reply sarcastically, he knows what I'm talking about. Two months into our partnership I was testifying in court and some crackshot defense lawyer used 'a failed operation' against me. He told me his secrets and I'd told him all of mine, except this. I've still been trying to sort through how I feel about it myself. So I gesture him over to a table, it's secluded by a few shrubs and they block noise, we sit and I fold my hands.

"Right after my brother was killed in the USS Cole bombing I got in a _really _bad place. I'm not going to go deep into how bad, but he was my only family, mom was hung up on dope and dad got a little, aggresive, when he was drinking, which was all the time. How we kept the house I don't know but Rex worked two jobs so I could study abroad in Argentina," I smile at the thought, but quickly wave it away.

"Look, I got to work with DiNozzo, Gibbs and Dobbs. Don't ask what happened to Dobbs I don't know. Working there was hard, the director was always covering Gibbs' and Tonys ass while leaving mine out to dry because I was the 'probie'. I've been a Private and a probie before, this was way harsher. So we caught wind of Hussan Mohammed, you know the guy who was in charge of the bombing. Well he was in Rota, Spain and we got to go there to track him. So I was on a dock with Gibbs, keeping an eye on Hussan when he stepped out of the cabin and I stared at him and he saw me. I just didn't understand how someone like him could kill my brother, Gibbs tried to get me to focus but I couldn't. Gibbs yelled for me to cover Tony and I did but he got in a fistfight with those guys, he was taking on three of them and I couldn't shoot or get involved without running the risk of hurting him, then this explosion goes off in the cabin and I flip around to check for Gibbs and he walks down. I screwed up big time and I tried to apologize but he didn't let me get two words out," I finish, Stephenson sits there in silence.

"I nearly got my platoon killed in Afghanistan," Stephenson says unexpectedly, I snap my head up to look at him.

"What?"

"I was in Artillery Radar and I saw a blip on the screen for no more than a second, it was a prototype and we were still working out the kinks so I dismissed it and went to coffee. Ten minutes later I come back and there's twenty artillery guns nestled in the foothills of Hindu Kush," Stephenson says darkly.

"Did anyone-"

"No," he says curtly. My phone chimes and I whip it open.

"OSP wants us back now," I say glumly, Stephenson throws my trash away as I pull the car around.

* * *

**ZIVA DAVIDS POV**

**EL AL FLIGHT 1083**

I sat by the window seat, the coastline of New York or New Jersey slowly coming into view. I so wish I could have taken a flight directly to Los Angeles, but Mossad doesn't want to risk it's operatives by flying us east near hostile territory. Especially near Iran. A stewardess comes by and asks me politely in Hebrew if I want a glass of water.

"Lo toedah," I answer and she moves on, if you answer in English, most Israelis try and improve their English by making conversation. I look back out the window. I can see smog already, the unnatural darkness of the water, I wish I was home already. But I cannot be thinking this, especially not when I need to catch Ari and bring him back to Israel. I know Ari has made mistakes, but the American government will misunderstand him. As the plane descends I reach for my carry-on bag which contains all my things, I always travel light.

"Please fasten your seatbelts and push up all table trays as we prepare for landing," a stewardess says over the intercom in English, Hebrew and Arabic. I feel the plane shudder as we hit some turbulence and grit my teeth, I hate turbulence. Every now and then some older Mossad officer will retell their days at Entebbe and make us all scared of flying for at least a week. But life goes on.

I'm walking out the door when a hand rests on my shoulder. I'm in public so I know I can't attack, Mossad operations in the US would be very bad for the US and Israel, but I'm with OSP-

"Relax, I am OSP," the man says calmly and I turn to face him. He's the younger dark-skinned man, I don't remember his name though.

"And you are?"

"Dominic Vail, NCIS, just call my Dom," he says brightly, "may I take your bag for you?"

"Sure," I say warily and he slips it onto his back.

"Cars out in the parking garage, we're going the long way to OSP so I hope you brought something to keep you company."

* * *

In the time it us to drive to OSP I learn allot of things about Special Agent Dominic Vail. NCIS recruited him straight out of MIT, he can play the piano and has a niece by his sister Clarissa. His parents raised him in Cincinnati and always encouraged him and his sister. I tell him about my family and he comments on how much he would have loved to meet Tali and Ima, he's very kind.

"I too play the piano, I taught myself Chopsticks," I joke and he smiles.

"Mozart is almost as hard," he replies and I laugh.

"So, tell me if this is not too personal, do you have a girlfriend?" I ask and Dom shakes his head.

"That's what NCIS is for!" he exclaims and we both laugh, his cellphone rings and he answers it.

"Domin-" there is a pause, "Kensi what's going on?... Alright I'l be there in ten minutes," he hangs up and lays on the gas pedal.

"And Americans say I am a bad driver!" I throw my hands up in frustration as he passes 75 mph cars. A police car starts wailing behind us and he groans, flipping on his own.

"Man, I was so hoping we could keep the plates for more than a month on this one!" he groans and I frown, what does he mean? Soon we arrive at OSP and he swerves into the driveway.

"C'mon, something on Hasmaria," he says and jogs inside. I follow and see OSP bustling with activity.

"Haswari has threatened Petty Officer Garbarone, she's in WPP but we need to talk to her," Kensi greets us urgently and guides us to the Ops Center and walks us over to a thin man with receding hairline.

"Hello Officer David, Agent Vail, I'm Granger, I'm here because of this guy," he says, gesturing to Ari's photo on the screen. "Haswari was spotted at a bus stop near the hotel our witness was at, I need two of your group to go on protective detail," he says and I look at Dom.

"I can, I'm not much of an investigative," I say and Granger looks at me for a second longer than normal, then looks to Dom.

"I'll get Agent Todd as well, now go!" he says, shooing us out.

* * *

**CAITLIN TODDS POV**

"Are you joking?" I ask as David explains the whole situation to me. The last thing I want is to be locked in some dingier hotel room with the half-sister of the terrorist who tried to kill me.

"There is nothing funny about it," David replies, sounding puzzled.

"Fine, but I want you to rotate with Hanna," I say and she nods, heading over to tell him. He should know how to spot a tail and perceive a threat. As I pull on my jacket on over my button up shirt and skirt I see a scared looking twenty-something year old walk in.

"I'm Petty Officer Garabone, you're taking me into custody," she says, trembling. I notice she sounds slightly French.

"Yes, where have you _never _been in Los Angeles?" I ask her, making it sound important.

"This is my first time," she answers, her voice shaking.

"Well I recommend the Ranch Motel," Ziva says, walking away from her computer.

"Why? If you've used it before they'll check it," I say patronizingly.

"No, it has terrible reviews," she answers and I frown.

"Middle-class is better," I retort.

"Trust me, being uncomfortable for awhile is better than being dead," she says sharply, making Garabone cry. "I'm sorry, I did not mean to imply-"

"You've done enough, _David,_" I say, intentionally mispronouncing her name. I see her face contort a bit but she follows me nevertheless.

This is going to be a very long protection detail.

* * *

**In your review write suggestions on what you want to happen in the next chapter! I'm going to include Abby and Gibbs, maybe even a criminals POV, please let me know!**


	16. How To Kidnap Someone In WPP

**WPP= Witness Protection Program, btw last chapter I misspelled Garbarones name, it was originally Gagne but now it's Garbarone! I think I saw someone else with the magazine article idea so if it's a repeat, I'm sorry. I've also never been in a Starbucks, so I probably am inaccurate about it's layout.**

* * *

**CAITLIN TODDS POV**

**WPP SAFEHOUSE**

I wonder if this is how the KGB tortured people, locking them up in some confined place until they got cabin fever. They probably made sure they locked them up with the relative of someone who tried to kill them too. Right now I'm in my own personal hell with the Mossad officer and our protectee who doesn't even need us, she's not that important. But of course Director Morrow probably crammed her down Gibbs' throat, then having no choice but to protect her, sent her to me, the best. Well not down my throat, WPP's first, but they had to go clear out another safe house before they moved her. Honestly they're supposed to be here-

"Hey, open the door, it's Greg," I hear Agent Willis whisper and I roll my eyes.

"Should've brought your keys," I singsong and I can feel him scowling as he fumbles for his keys. Soon the door opens and I am greeted by agents Willis and Fitzgerald.

"We're moving her in four hours, question her all you want, we'll be, protecting," Fitzgerald says gruffly before talking with Willis in low undertones. I sigh and walk over to where David and Garbarone are watching soccer, or as they say it, football. The cultural ignorance, I mean if you're going to be in America, call it soccer!

"We need to ask you about Sullivan Industries," I begin and the girl bursts into sobs, David shoots me a look as she wraps her arms around the girl.

"Hey, it is okay, we are here to protect you," David says softly and I cross my arms, letting out a sigh of exasperation. "The sooner you get it over with, the better."

"Okay," Garbarone whimpers, "but can we not sit in this room, the windows," she asks and David nods, I roll my eyes but I follow them.

"So what can you tell us-" I start off.

"First I want you to understand something," Garbarone says firmly and I nod, "Jasna was never very chatty alright? She knew Serbian and Croatian really well, I still do not know why she wasn't in intelligence, anyway ever since Kosovo she caught allot of crap in the workplace," she looks to each of us and David nods.

"I know a thing or two about countries some people consider controversial," David says, probably to make her more talkative and the girl nods.

"She said she found a whole file of their data, what covered what and where the profits went etc," Garbarone takes in a deep breath and continues. "She said she was sending it to someone somewhere, I can't remember specifics, so I called a stress hotline, I changed names and what the information was," she shudders, "and then the next day I got it." She's obviously talking about the threat. "Oh my God I think they tapped my phone! What else do they know, how else-" she gasps and starts hyperventilating, then it sounds bad. David asks her something and Garbarone answers.

"Keep her breathing," David says sharply, then she takes off down the stairs. Barely seconds later she's back up with something in her hand and passes it to Garbarone, who then squirts it into her mouth and slows her breathing.

"Asthma attack," she explains and I nod sympathetically. The Israeli woman rubs her arms until she can talk on her own again. "I know more I just," her voice cracks and David pats her on the back.

"Want some space?" she asks softly and Garbarone nods, lying down on the bed. David slips out and so do I, pacing around the kitchen. It's obvious why the girl can't talk, this place is reminding her of why she's talking to us and the consequences of it. We should bust her out of here.

"Hey, Fitz!" I yell, much to the older mans annoyance, ok he's not _that _old, late thirties, early forties maybe.

"Yes Miss Todd?" he asks as he walks in from the study.

"It's _Ms_," I remind him and he rolls his eyes, but I press on, "where are you moving her?" I ask.

"Safehouse near Victorville, Pomona maybe, no one is to move her until more of my people come," he answers, looking at me skeptically, I can't let him get that way or the plan won't work.

"Ok, just let me know how I can help," I chirp and pat him on the shoulder, heading back up the stairs. I hear David follow. Good. I open the door on Garbarone and she's sitting by the bay window. "I thought you were afraid of windows," I say and she looks back.

"I'm here aren't I?" she retorts. I hear the back door close, oh this is such good luck!

"C'mon, we're getting something to eat, WPP doesn't stock their safehouses very well," I joke and she nods, but David eyes me warily.

"You cleared this with the agents in charge?" she asks in the same manner.

"Of course, you think I'm just going to steal a witness from WPP?" I joke and she nods, more trustingly I might add. Garbarone and David follow me out to the front porch when I hear Willis moving around inside the house. "In the car, not good to be out in the open for too long," I say to make them hurry, and they do.

"So what do you guys want Thai?" I ask brightly and David scowls.

"I hate Thai," she says simply and Garbarone shrugs.

"So what will it be Garbarone?" I ask as I make a left onto the freeway.

"Just call me Andrina," she says politely and I nod. My cell phone buzzes and I pull it out when David snaps it away.

"Illegal to text and drive," she says and I shake my head.

"Only in school zones," I say, "can I have my phone back?"

"All right," she says and hands it to me. I read the text.

**Petty Officer Garbarone went missing from WPP custody, Gibbs and I will meet you at Starbucks**

**-Tony**

I smile and place the phone in my purse, oh how I'll be Gibbs' favorite for a month! He's even flown here just for me! I think of how I'll be rid of headslaps, Morrow will commend me for my good duties, you know, I'll probably get some award from some bureaucratic bigwigs that-

"Todd! Look out!" David screams and jumps forward, turning the wheel as a car zips right by us in the intersection.

"You nearly killed us!" Andrina screams and David looks murderous.

"Sorry! I'll-" I'm cutoff by the sounds of car horns. David shoot me a look that makes me think twice about taking the wheel. "It's all yours," I say begrudgingly as she climbs over the seat.

* * *

**VIVIAN BLACKADDERS POV**

**NCIS OSP**

"Petty Officer Garbarone went missing from the WPP safehouse with Agent Todd and Officer David," I say briskly as I walk into the desk area, Dom and Hanna grab their jackets, while Kensi and Tony head for the door.

"Hold up!" McGee yells and everyone freezes. "Tony, did Kate take the Petty Officer from custody?" Tony's face blanches and he pulls McGee aside. I shake my head, this is so Team Gibbs.

"McGee come with me, we're tracing down the witness," I say and grab my third backup piece. He nods and grabs his jacket. The others mutter things under their breath, putting extra weapons in desk drawers, hanging jackets on the back of chairs. I grabbed my coat and headed to the stairway, McGee at my heel.

"Look I know I've only got computer skills, I mean, I know they're not a very good background for any federal agent-" McGee mumbled as we walked down the staircase, his voice jumping up and down on each step.

"McGee, there's nothing wrong with computer skills, you know, that's actually what counter-terrorism is nowadays, Russia, China, North Korea, they want to hack into our systems," I explain, but why would he think this over such an educational and demanding background?

"It's just, I can't detect tails very well or tell when someones carrying or-"

"How long have you been an agent? And on Gibbs' team?" I ask.

"Five years maybe, spent all my time with Gibbs,"

"And he not once showed you the basics of detecting a tail?" I ask, concerned.

"Yeah, I'm not police or military so I got stuck with desk duty," he say shortly.

"Sounds like what he did to Dobbs," I say nonchalantly as we hit the ground floor.

"Wait, _you _worked for Gibbs?" McGee asks, shocked.

"I'm impressed, Tony held his tongue after all we've been through together," I joke, but McGee doesn't get it.

"How, why?" he stutters.

"It's a long story, I joined NCIS for a few years and then headed back to the Hoover building after getting stuck with the spawn of Satan for partners. But really, Dobbs wasn't the worst person in the world to be stuck with," I explain and McGee furrows his eyebrows.

"Dobbs?"

"Before your time," I tease, only to confuse him more. "Okay so Gibbs, Tony, Don, his full name was Don Dobbs so we liked to tease him over it being an assonance I think you call it, anyway we were a team and we ran around solving homicide cases etc. Well I eventually decided to leave and Tonys hated me for 'betraying the team' ever since," I finish and McGee nods, climbing into the truck.

"So what made you leave?" McGee asks and I shrug.

"Really corny, but I read this 'insightful' magazine article that changed my life," I say dramatically, fishing around for the magazine. "Here it is," I say, tossing it onto his lap and starting the car. It's a manual so you actually have to concentrate while driving it, but it gives you more control.

"It's TIME magazine," McGee states, puzzled.

"O bamboozled one, I love that word, anyway it's on page 17 or something," I say offhandedly as I pull out of the parking lot.

* * *

**TIMOTHY MCGEES POV**

**BLACKADDERS TRUCK**

I flipped to page 17 and there it was,

**7 Signs You Have The Boss From Hell**

**Most people don't quit the job, they quit the boss, **the psychologist said. I agreed, I really do love catching bad guys, cliche as it may be, but Tonys teasing makes it unbearable sometimes and Gibbs' negligence to teach is dangerous sometimes.

**1. Your Boss Is Always Right **

Honestly if I had a penny for everytime Gibbs insisted I was wrong or to look something over again I could buy a McMansion.

**2. Your Boss Wants You And Your Coworkers To Be Exactly Alike**

Kate was Secret Service and Tony was a Baltimore detective, making Kate have invaluable forgery detection, sketch artist and protection skills, with Tony having great investigative skills, along with the basic gun and combat training. I had spent most of my life on a keyboard, ergo I was always left behind while Tony and Kate were in the field. I could remember some of my worse punishments being byproducts of not being able to do the simplest field skills, like detecting a tail.

**3. Your Boss Calls You In On Your Off-Day/Holiday**

I could remember how I was driving to Sarahs apartment for Thanksgiving or being in Alexandria for Christmas with Penelope and Gibbs would call me in for some paperwork that really could wait until Monday, now that I think of it, I don't remember seeing Kate or Tony there on those days.

**4. Your Boss Is Fast To Blame You And Slow To Compliment You**

I could give a dozen things to prove that. Kate, Tony and McGee were rarely complimented but Abby, oh was she complimented. The kiss on the cheek, the 'good job Abs', or the Caf-Pows. There had even been some rumor of them having an affair, but Gibbs shut them down.

**5. The Feedback Isn't Relevant**

Feedback? It was normally him expressing his impatience that I couldn't get into the CIA's database in ten seconds after just learning I needed to get it. One that particularly bugged me was that if I had a slight mess up in the field, even the 'improper' wording of a question you were asking a suspect, Gibbs would berate you for it time and time again until you perfected it. This usually wasn't me though, except when I did screw up, I was yelled at for not 'catching on' _and _for whatever I messed up.

**6. Your Boss Is A Micro-Manager **

How many times had Gibbs' gotten Tony or Kate to babysit me in the field? Or worse, Gibbs himself breathing down my neck? Especially when I worked with Abby he would pop in and make sure I wasn't leaving all the work to her, when the opposite should be happening.

**7. Your Boss Hogs All The Attention**

Okay, Gibbs wouldn't exactly throw himself in the way or announce it unprecedentedly, that was more Tonys style. Gibbs would let whatever it was happen unless someone complimented me on it, then he would step in and casually mention how anyone could have done it.

"Hey, hey McGee, hate to wake you from that trip down memory lane but I need you to track the Petty Officers phone, I can only hack, not track," Vivian said, snapping me out of reminiscence.

"Sure, who taught you how to hack though?" I asked as I opened my portable laptop. It looked kind of like something you'd see in Afghanistan in a military camp, you didn't need wifi or Ethernet, just think of a satellite phone, only that's how Internet worked.

"My friend, he runs some computer company, forgot the name," Vivian says sheepishly and then composes herself. "So tell me, how often does Gibbs 'soften up' suspects before interrogation or 'borrow' witnesses?"

"He 'softens up' suspects with a trip down to the morgue and a private autopsy, or he 'borrows' witnesses and says the paperwork must've been lost on _their _end, not ours," I say, I once saw Gibbs slam a suspect against the freezers in autopsy while Ducky pulled out the body, and another time while Gibbs pinned the man down to an autopsy table while Ducky revved the bone saw. I was so scared the guy would press charges and Gibbs would lose his job, but I heard later the guy was too scared to do anything. It also scared me how Ducky went along with it.

"So what will we arrest the CEO's for anyway?" I ask.

"Fraud, murder, the whole Bible of drug trafficking charges, prostitution, racketeering-"

"For those of us who didn't attend Organized Crime school, what is racketeering?" I ask and she smiles.

"Papa Gibbs didn't teach you that? Racketeering is pretty much extortion, money laundering, loan sharking, obstruction of justice and bribery all rolled into one, well, that's the best I can explain it," she frowns before shaking her head and grabbing binoculars. "Hold up let me call Ziva, maybe she'll be more compliant than Kate," she dials her number and places it on speaker, the ringer echoing through the car.

"What do you need binocs for?" I ask, we're on the fourth ring so I doubt Ziva will answer. Vivian sets her binoculars down and turns to look at me slowly, a confused look on her face.

"Binocs?" she says.

"Yeah, binocs,"

"Who uses that?" she asks and I mouth 'me'. She narrows her eyes before looking back out the car window again.

"They're outside a Starbucks," I say and she smiles.

"You're about to see your first episode of _White Girls In The Wild_," Vivian jokes and I frown. "Aw c'mon you haven't heard the stereotype? White girls Instagramming their Pumpkin Spice lattes in yoga pants?" she asks, amused.

"No," I answer cautiously.

"What is a latte anyway?" she asks and I shrug.

"Well you're a white girl, you should know," and she laughs.

"Honey, I'm not like my white sisters, I've never been to Starbucks in my life, I only wore yoga pants when I was undercover and have never owned an iDevice," she says and I raise my eyebrows.

"You've never had an iDevice?" I ask incredulously.

"PC's are so much better, don't even get me started!" she exclaims.

"Macs have way better graphics!" I blurt out.

"PC's have more memory and hard drive space!"

"Macs don't crash!"

"PC's don't need an authorized dealer to be repaired!"

"Macs are _way _more professional looking!" I argue.

"I understand this debate is hotter than politics and religion in America," Zivas voice rings through the car and we both jump.

"How?" I ask and Vivian shakes her head, she's laughing.

"I was calling her, did you hear the part about white girls?" she asks and Ziva answers with a simple 'yes'.

"So, give me an estimate, how many white girls are in that Starbucks with yoga pants or iPhones?" Vivian asks.

"I count fourteen," Ziva replies, making Vivian laugh more.

"I love America!" she says before becoming serious. "So which Starbucks are you in?" Ziva gives us the details, they match my screen and I nod. "Is Agent Todd suspicious?"

"No, she's drinking some form of a latte, you know, I thought something was up, the way she ushered us out of the house like that," Ziva replies, trying to pronounce latte.

"Okay, don't tip her off," Vivian says before hanging up and turning a corner.

* * *

**ZIVA DAVIDS POV**

**STARBUCKS**

I don't think I have ever seen such a large gathering of white girls. Todd brought us here for some _sconces _before dragging Andrina through another round of interrogation. So far she has nothing to offer except the book, even then she doesn't know where Jasna sent it.

"Andrina think..." I hear Todd go off again and I examine the customers. I think it was either a stroke of brilliance to come here on Todds part or sheer luck. No terrorist could walk in here without some degree of suspicion, on the other hand we were very susceptible to gunmen. I looked at Andrina and she looked close to tears.

"Todd, I think we should let Andrina rest, I'll get her some coffee," I say, it's her third cup, but anything to divert Todds attention. I'm standing in line when I see him walk in. His face is familiar, in the wanted list kind of way. I'm turning and calling out to Andrina and Todd, who has her back to the door, a very stupid move, when he whips out a gun and gets off two shots. The first one catches Andrina on the right side of her chest, the second one I've tackled him and it hits the ceiling, popping a ceiling tile out of place. The man swings the gun toward my chest but a shot goes off and is blood spurts in my face. I knock the gun out of his hand and check his pulse. Nothing. I look over to Andrina and Todd is hunched over her, hands on her chest. McGee is running toward me, making sure I'm alright. People are running and screaming or sitting there in shock. The whole thing couldn't have been more than ten seconds.

About fifteen minutes later black vans and an ambulance pull up. Paramedics load Andrina onto a stretcher, Vivian and McGee are with her while two very P.O.'d looking WPP agents storm toward Todd and I with Hetty.

"What's the meaning of this!" Hetty yells and I feel Kate jump beside me. "Who's idea was it to slip Garbarone out of protective custody!" Hetty screeches.

"David thought this would be better for the suspect to think," Kate states and I snap my head around.

"No, you said we were getting something to eat! You practically _rode _us out of the house!" I explain, one of the WPP, Fitzgerald I think it is, looks at me quizzically.

"_Rode _you out?" he asks.

"Yes, it is an English idiomatic expression," I say and he smiles.

"_Drove _you out," he corrects me, and I nod.

"Well Agent Todd, what do you have to say for yourself?" Willis asks and she widens her eyes.

"I would not dare drag a witness away from protective custody-" she begins but Hetty holds up her hand.

"Save the lip service, I personally will escort you to headquarters where we can MTAC Director Morrow. Ziva, Dom will drive you back. Come along now Miss Todd," Hetty says quietly but firmly. Dom steps forward and he smiles at me, gesturing to the car. It's raining outside so he hands me a newspaper to cover my head with.

"Thank you," I say and he smiles.

"No problem," he says, holding the door open and I smile.

"Are all Americans like this?" I ask and he shakes his head.

"I'm afraid I'm a dying breed," he teases as he holds the car door open for me. I raise my eyebrows and grin and he even shuts the door!

* * *

Over the car ride I learned that Agent Dominic Vail has a taste for rock music and video games, especially those of the computer variety. I can never understand why someone would only want to play something that shortens your attention span and inhibits your ability to learn. But he is very kind, even promising to show me some computer tips and shorter routes to work by picking me up from the hotel.

"Well here we are," Dom says despondently and I look at him.

"You sound so depressed about going to work," I say.

"Eh, Hetty'll be in a bad mood over Todds stunt, especially with Shepard telling her to do a better job with agents in her jurisdiction."

"I thought you got a new director," I say and he nods.

"True, wonder how this one will play out," he muses as he opens the car door for me and I slide out. We're at the employee entrance. The wooden doors are opened and I step into a technologically advanced area.

"David, Vail, Ops Center, now!" Kensi yells across the floor and I hurry over, Dom by my side. "Ari Haswari just issued us a threat," she says, scared. We run up the stairs and Hanna, Tony, McGee, Vivian, Stephenson, Nell, Eric, Hetty and Granger are staring up at words on a screen.

**Give up the investigation or we will kill. **Beneath it is a picture of Hanna, Hetty, Eric, Nell, Kate, Gibbs and Granger doing daily activities.

"If you want off the case, now is the time," Granger says and we all turn to look at him. "Before any of you scream mole I made sure some people were not included on the Joint Taskforce list should this happen, if you want to continue we're going to have to do a sting operation. Most of the investigation has been cyber which is why most of you except Nell, Eric, Dom and McGee here know virtually nothing. I'll let them debrief you, then decide on a course of action," Granger finishes, then leaves with Hetty.

"Okay, so this is the way watered down version, the CEO Robert Sterling and his fellow CEOs James Crawley and Andrew Jenkins have been meeting with kingpins of all types these past couple of weeks. From the looks of it they're trying divide and conquer with them so Sterling is taking the mob, Crawley drug and arms dealers and Jenkins the hitman. We've deduced from your personnel files who should take what group. McGee and Dom, you two should take the mob. Kensi and Granger should cover the dealers while Vivian and Tony take-"

"I'm not going with _her_! She nearly got Gibbs killed in Rota! If you put me with her Gibbs'll raise hell!" Tony bursts out and Vivian looks equally angered by this.

"I will not work with him!" she says, but not nearly as loud.

"How are we going to get the book in all of this!" I yell and they turn to look at me.

"That Ziva, is where you come in," Nell says and pulls up a layout of CEO Sterlings estate. "With your, unique, set of capabilities and Hanna's SEAL training you two can easily infiltrate the premises while Sterling is in a meeting. Don't worry, a judge gave us the go ahead to retrieve it," Nell adds before I can object.

"The operations start in two days, you memorize your covers tomorrow, I hope you rest," Granger says from the back of the room. "If you have any problems with your partnership, come and see me now," Tony and Vivian shoot over there while the rest of us filter out, McGee is telling Hanna about their detailed investigation with FBI Organized Crime while Dom tells Kensi about their covers. I came to America to get Ari and instead am stealing a criminals diary. I pull out my cellphone and call Ari. I need to end this.

* * *

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